Welcome to Kinder!

Mengakhiri tahun, biasanya orang-orang udah mulai sibuk bikin list resolusi. Gue? bikin list to-do aja suka lupa sendiri dimana naronya. Tapi untuk memeriahkan bulan favorit ini, serta korban nonton film dan tv, gue ingin sekali membagi Travel Wishlist gue. Dengan harapan semuluk di-amini yang baca dan kali aja ada  yang mau membiayai. hahaha Aamiin doong! aamiin ya! aamiin, makasih ya teman teman! *bahkan baru bikin wishlistnya aja udah gila*

Anyways, Spain dan South Africa masih keterlaluan ya untuk direalisasikan tahun 2012 nanti. So i keep that for my honeymoon ;) until then…

1. Magelang, Jawa Tengah

actually, to be specific, gue mau ke Borobudur. Iya, gue tau lo pasti bakal bilang “kemana aja lo waktu kecil?” ada, gue bahkan udah kesitu 2 atau 3 kali. Tapi waktu nonton film Arisan 2, gue jadi terinspirasi untuk pergi kesana melihat perayaan waisak berdua dengan Holga gue. Atau mungkin ada yang mau gantiin holga gue? yang ngga akan gue lepas dari genggaman gue, dan gue ajak kemana aja? anyone? oke, waisak…terus terang perayaan waisak hanya gue liat di tv dan film. Gue pengen banget ada di situ dan ngerasain ambiance-nya. Mendengar orang-orang memanjatkan doa dengan khidmat dan melepaskan lampion ke langit di malam hari. Sounds nice to me. or maybe miserable. haha. tapi kayanya menarik banget aja. Apalagi kalo denger Gauri dan sepupunya cerita tentang Borobudur, kayanya keren aja kalo bisa kesitu lagi :)

Cantik sekali ya.. :’)

2. Yogyakarta

Suatu sore gue denger lagu KLA yang berjudul Jogja dan sebegitu terpananya. Gue googling liriknya dan baru sadar kalo Jogja punya arti yang seperti itu (ehm…ehm). Gue mau ngerasain lagi makan di akringan/lesehan, hunting oleh-oleh silver dan ke Prambanan. Nonton sendratari Ramayana. Kayanya gue akan ternganga sambil ngga ngerti mereka ngomong apa :) oh well, untuk menikmati seni lo ngga perlu ngerti-ngerti amat kan? :p

Megah Banget, bikin merinding nih pasti!!!

3. Solo, Jawa Tengah

Cuma satu yang mau gue liat di sini…Perayaan 1 Suro-nya :) Mungkin ada yang mau merekomendasikan tempat lain yang bisa dikunjungi? Tapi serius deh, kayanya perayaan 1 Suro di sana pasti gila banget. Gue pernah nonton liputannya di salah satu tv dan itu kayanya mistis banget (in a good way). bakal jadi pengalaman banget. Dan gue bener-bener pengen ke sana :)

Gila, ini baru jawa tengah..kalo aja semua perayaan jatuh di bulan yang sama, fixed gue bakal sebulan keliling jawa. hahha

Jadi beginilah travel wishlist saya ehm, slash proposal (untuk yang mau danain) hahaha. dan ini edisi Jawa Tengah. Mudah-mudahan aja terwujud, supaya lahir edisi lainnya. Aamiin!

Aloita? in Mentawai, it means how do you do? Yes, i learned some Metawai language while i was traveling to West Sumatra and Mentawai archipelago last year. That day, on October 6th 2010, i visited primitive colony to see the daily life of Sikerei in Mentawai. Sikerei refers to people who became shaman (they didnt like to be called witch or people with black magic) in every family that lives in each territory in Mentawai. So, every family has a different sikerei. Sikerei or Mentawai Shaman doesnt do black magic to harm others, they gifted to heal and lead traditional ceremonies.

 
doc http://www.sikerei.com/

To reach the closest colony (from Muara Siberut as the main harbour in The Mentawai archipelago) we have to take a motor boat on Gereget river for 60 minutes or so. The trees and a few ‘Lalep’ or ‘Sapo’ (home residents) indulged our eyes along the way to our destinantion. Some Mentawai people were stop and looking at us on their pompong (traditional boat), when we passed.


private collection, this photo has been published on aci.detik.com

When we arrived, the Totulu family greeted us right away.The eldest member of this family was a Sikerei, that’s why we visited this family. Not everyone can be a sikerei. To become a sikerei, edification in deep forest have to be taken in about a month. Sikerei postulants have to find a master that ‘willing’ to teach them and prepare themselves by rising 100 chickens and pigs. In other words, it also takes lots of courage and means to be sikerei. After all, being gifted is not enough.

We met with the entire family and not every member can speak Minang or Bahasa. But most of them understood with the language that we used. We explained the reason why we came; getting to know about the Mentawai tribe and to see their traditional dances and songs that can’t be found in other place. To see their dances, it takes at least 2 sikereis. The dances should be performed in pair. In Totulu family, there’s only one man who is sikerei. So we had to wait quite long for them to pick the other. Because from each house to others were saperated by river and swamp. And its raining indeed.

while we were waiting, i looked around the house. the modern touch has been applied in this house. They cook with iron skillet and sleep with valance. Both are the same as the things we use in the city. in fact, some of them already use full clothes (they’re usually topless and use something like ‘koteka’), just like the comers. At the bottom of the house, functioned as a pigsty. While chickens uasually on the trees (its a bit wierd for me. chickens have wings but cant fly, yes? why they can be on the trees?). this is what i call unique.

Finally, the second sikerei arrived. While he smoke the cigarette that we brought, he’s preparing himself to dance (be silent and maybe praying, i dont know for sure). They can’t sing and dance as they want. The ceremony must be taken by slaughtering pig or chicken before, then have a supper togather. 

The First dance began. They danced and sang at the same time. The song was very harmonious with nature. That dance was about bird called Egu who cant eat because rain fall down. The dance and song really fited with the sky that day, which been drizzled all the time. Such a perfect combination. The dance looked very simple, earthy but had a deep meaning. One of characteristic of the dance is drumming the feet on the floor, like tap dance but has a different beat.

Once completed, they are not directly do the second dance. They chit chated for a moment, while they’re finishing their cigarettes. In Mentawai, almost everyone smokes. Mothers, Teenagers, even of children . Not for long, Sikerei began to do the second dance, it’s  about bird called Cad - Cad who drank water from flower’s pod alternately. Then followed by The third dance about the bird called Kemud who ate snakes and then divided and shared it with their children.

They danced based on what they see in everyday situations. And they live their life learning from nature. Moral can be drawn from the dances can be seen when we all ate our dinner. When one eats, the others also have to eat. The food should be as large, have the same size and taste for each. Even in a party, celebration and cermony, they eat in the same plate or container. No matter who they are, the head of the tribe or just a kid.

The values are exemplary and shloud be applied in our lives. Like them, we must always live in balance with nature. Guard it, and learn from it. Because many values ​​that we can learn from nature. As Sikerei who learn from what they see in nature and teach it to others through dance and song.

me and nonadita with Sikerei and the Totulu