Dark Chocolate Helps Fight Stroke

Baltimore-Good news for fans of chocolate. Especially dark chocolate without the milk mixture.

This time, according to a study in the Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, the content of dark chocolate can fight against stroke. The reason is epicatechin, one of the substances that exist in dark chocolate, can trigger the growth of protective cells in the brain.

According to one researcher, Dr. Norman K. Hollenberg of Harvard Medical School, from experiments on rats indicated some stoke, epicatechin can be used for the treatment of stroke. Even the effect can already be seen three hours after exposure to stoke.

"We give this substance in various doses in rats 90 minutes before he suffered a stroke," he said. "And it turns out, after infarction (damage due to stroke) to be reduced."

Even though dark chocolate has been proven good for health, Sylvain Dore, Chairman of the researchers, from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine recommends consuming more cocoa beans directly (cocoa).

"Cocoa does not like chocolate is high in calories and saturated fat. Cocoa could be a tool for the diet, especially when mixed with fruit and vegetables, "he said.

Previously, indicated dark chocolate can protect humans from diseases of the heart. Based on some research, just 6.7 grams of chocolate a day, a person can protect themselves from heart damage.

Shrimp paste going upmarket

In many kitchens in East Java or the kitchen of families originating from the region, we can often find a black brown substance with an unmistakably shrimp flavor. People from East Java called their shrimp paste petis.

Semi liquid in nature, it is used to enhance the flavor of many local dishes.

During a week stay in Surabaya and a tour of the East Java coastline, I was invited by friends who served me a salad with kangkung (water spinach) and cingur (ox or water buffalo nose).

Then, they explained how to make the East Javanese specialty. My host asked me to have a taste.

“You will be addicted to petis and the ox noses are not bad,” they said. It was really not bad, but I asked her to give me more recipes with petis, not with ox-noses as the main ingredient. She did and said that we could add it when preparing chicken or deep-fried sprouts (bakwan).

That evening we had mini bakwan tauge (mungbean sprouts) with a petis sauce, served as an appetizer in a set menu at a sit down dinner. Petis is going upmarket.

Petis is generally a side product, the raw material of which is partly or entirely of fish origin. Meanwhile shrimp petis or petis udang is an extract of shrimp, obtained through boiling and curdling with additional spices for taste and color beside the required consistency.

There are two kinds of petis, for example, the extract and meat of shrimp. Nevertheless, shrimp waste may also be utilized in food produced in powder form.

Petis made from fish or shrimp is certainly not unfamiliar to the Indonesian people. But fish petis is in fact not to the taste of the most producers or consumers as a result of its high watery content, so that it will be easy to putrefy during storage.

The woman busy making petis showed us the procedure, explaining that based on the method of preparation, shrimp petis is grouped in four qualities: super, extra, #1, #2. Meanwhile the super quality is not profitable for small scale producers due to its high price, so the marketing will be limited among the affluent people.

The raw material of the super quality is of the werus shrimp species, while #1 and #2 qualities comes from the waste of the extra quality. Petis of low quality is made from shrimp heads and small shrimps.

In principle, the process of cooking petis consists of several stages, for example, preparing the raw material, boiling and curdling. Meanwhile the additional material or ingredients are tapioca flour, white sugar, kitchen salt, charcoal powder and water.

To many people in the coastline area, petis as a home industry is profitable because it is easy and simple to make. Raw material such as crabs are easy to obtain and cheap, and even the waste of shrimp (head, crest, the scale or crust) is used in processed form.

Processed shrimp petis is made from shrimp heads is simple. Initially the material is washed and drained with a sieve. It is then boiled for a period of 1 ½ hours to obtain the shrimp extract. It is obtained by sifting the boiling mass with a sieve, where the waste is separated from the extract.

Daging petis merah Courtesy of Suryatini N. Ganie

Afterward the extract is reboiled to make it lumpy. During the second stage of boiling, white sugar, kitchen salt, tapioca flour and other spices are added. This is the curdling stage, which is performed over 4 to 6 hours.

Finally the mash is cooled off and stored in covered bottles. The bottles are sterilized in advance through boiling in water for an hour. The bottled petis is stored for several months at room temperature.

Normally, black colored petis has a trasi flavor and a soft texture. The change in color, texture and flavor may be used as an indicator to judge petis quality. Fungus growth is an indication of product putrefaction.

Bakwan Tauge Saus Petis Udang
Mung bean fritters and petis sauce. Clean 150 grams of mungbean sprouts and discard the black part. Mix with 150 millimeters of medium thick coconut milk and 100 grams of flour. Season with 2 mashed cloves of garlic, 1/2 teaspoons of salt or to taste and 1/2 teaspoons of pepper. Mix well. Heat 300 millimeters of frying oil and alternatively fry 1 tabelspoons until finished. To make the sauce: mash six chili paddies (tiny chilies) or to taste, 1 tablespoons of fried garlic and 1 teaspoons of petis udang super quality. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons vinegar, 2 tablespoons of palm sugar, 3 tablespoons of sweet soy sauce and 100 millimeters of water. Bring to boil on low flame until sugar is dissolved. Take from flame, sieve, return to the pan and add 1 teaspoons of maizena. Bring to boil on low flame until thick. Makes 12 portions.

The never-ending allure of Tintin

It started out innocently…you read his adventures one by one – next thing you know, you have an insatiable thirst to collect all things Tintin, from figurines to a Tintin rocket. In other words, your penchant for the baby-faced journalist has turned into to love.

Tintin is indeed a one-of-a-kind journalist – he traveled to the moon 19 years before Neil Armstrong did, battled drug runners, becomes involved in supernatural experiences (thanks to the curse of an Inca mummy) and experiences other breathtaking adventures.

Belgian artist Georges Prosper Remi or better known as Hergé created Tintin in 1929. However, today you can still find people who have a soft spot for this eternally young reporter. Many Indonesians in their thirties who grew up reading Tintin comics make up the majority of members of online club www.tintin_id@yahoogroups.com.

The globetrotting reporter was hugely popular in the 1980s and many members of the online club say that Tintin gave them company throughout their growing pains. Recently, I met 12 of them, all of whom are men.

The group moderator, Surjorimba Suroto, soon brushed off suggestion that Tintin_Id is a male-dominated club — there are after all some female members — and the only thing that bond them together is their vast knowledge of the cartoon character, that each member knows each story by heart down to the last word of each caption.

Members of Tintin_id, Tony Tumpak (from left to right), Syaiful Bahri, Johan Santoso, Berthold Sinaulan, Yoga Nandiwardhana, Surjorimba Suroto, Harri Baskoro, Yoga Wisaksono, Rizki Jaya, Budi Haryanto and Danny Rahardian, pose for a photograph during a recent gathering. JP/Susanna Tjokro

And they would love to pass on their for Tintin that they would love to pass on to the younger generation. “Tintin comics have a wealth of information and can help young readers explore geography and culture with fun,” says Surjo. Even in the information-saturated Internet era, where kids could get as much information as possible with a click of a mouse, Tintin is still worth your time, he says.

Some of subjects in Tintin comics were no doubt serious, but Hergé had a way with story-telling and his unironic humor help lighten up the doom and gloom. Some of plotlines in Tintin comics are based on true event and one of real incidents on which the story was based in the Mukden Incident in which the Japanese imperial government accused China of blowing up a railway line, a plot devised to justify the entry of the Japanese occupation army into China. It does not take a historian to judge which side Hergé was on when in the Blue Lotus, he put Tintin in a situation where he could bear witness to a bomb set off by a Japanese secret agent.

“When we were kids, we only saw the slapstick side of Tintin stories. Later when we grew up, then we realize that the reporter was actually involved in serious issues,” club member Harri Baskoro Adiyanto said, adding that Tintin comics in fact promotes tolerance and race-blind friendship, like when Tintin developed a strong bond with Chang Chong Chen in Tintin in Tibet.

For many readers, it was Tintin who first introduced the thrills of traveling. Inspired by Tintin’s adventures, online club member Syaiful Bahri set his foot on several places that have been visited by Tintin, such as Scotland, Belgium, Saudi Arabia, China, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia among others.

Rizki Jaya, another fan of Tintin in the club said that just like any devoted fan, he has read Tintin comics far too many times and they never fail to entertain him. “I am 36 years old and still read them again and again,” he says.

“Except for Tintin in Congo, the other Tintin series are still relevant, because the issues featured on those pages still have resonance today, such as the issue of human-trafficking and drug smuggling,” says Yoga Wisaksono.

Tintin, however, is not without his flaws just like any other fictional characters. He does some of the most deplorable acts in the Congo episode, printed in 1931, an episode which has largely been shunned by fans for its portrayal of colonialism and animal cruelty perpetrated none other by the hero himself.

In Congo, Tintin killed 13 antelopes and he even killed a rhinoceros with (gasp!) dynamite – Tintin himself drilled a hole in that poor animal’s back and then put the dynamite inside its body, the result was a horrific death. Hergé drew the native Congolese with rubbery lips and portrayed them as irrational tribes who worship the whites, including Tintin.

Most (if not all) Tintin and Hergé fans, however, believes that the incidents were not racially motivated, he was just deliberately provocative (later, Hergé regretted those scenes and made revisions).

Many people believe that Hergé was being fed the prejudices of the society in that era; after all, later he regretted his early works. “Hergé just portrayed attitudes in that era. I think, if Hergé were to do it again, he would do it differently,” says Berthold Sinaulan. Besides the Congo episode, some of Tintin’s other early comics were altered by Hergé in subsequent editions as well.

In spite of the flaws, people still get hooked on Tintin. Extensive research is part of Tintin’s success as it makes the story closer to reality. One of Tintin_Id members says interestingly the space suits that wore by Hergé’s characters in Explores on the Moon (in 1954) are similar with the ones that later used in actual, future moon exploration.

“Hergé was a very smart, forward thinking writer. Through Tintin’s adventures, he invented things that have never been produced before. For instance, instead of using nuclear or chemical weapons, a super sonic device is used to destroy steel, as told in The Calculus Affair,” says Surjo.

As for the price, for many kids who grew up in the 80’s, the price of Tintin comics was expensive. “In 1980, I bought my first Tintin comic, entitled Red Rackham’s Treasure at Rp1,000. Back then, for comparison, a cassette was priced at Rp700 and teh botol drink was just Rp50, so it was expensive, but as a kid, I was not aware that Tintin comics were expensive,” says Surjo who started reading Tintin at the age of 11.

Bloomberg

Once a luxury, when the little fans grow up, they collect Tintin comics in various language versions. Interestingly, many Indonesians collect Flight 714 in various language editions. The main draw is the fact that Tintin and friends stopped over Jakarta’s Kemayoran airport.

Besides comics, surely they also collect a wide variety of all things Tintin. Budi Haryanto showed me On the Roof of the World, a 2009 calendar issued by International Campaign for Tibet (ICT). , Tumpak Tony showed me a cute Tintin car. For many fans, Tintin cars, replicas from various scenes from Tintin comics, are among favorites.

Another popular merchandise is Tintin rocket. One of Tintin_Id members bought a second-hand rocket, priced at Rp 1,250,000. This fan admitted he had to hide things he bought and sometimes lied to his wife that he got the merchandise for free as his shopping habits are more than pocket-deep.

Indeed, the fans, especially the married ones, have to be careful so that their hobby will not eat into household expenses and hopefully they will never have to sneak Tintin stuff discretely into their homes.

Danny Rahardian and Yola Kardona is a dream couple for Tintin fans, as these husband-and-wife both love collecting Tintin merchandise, such as Tintin books in various language versions (including the limited classic edition ones), figurines, soft toys and cars of Tintin. They have a noteworthy collection of 50 Tintin cars in total.

Widiani and Dianasari (Dina) are living proof that women are as crazy as men are when it comes to collect all things Tintin. Widiani, who started reading Tintin when she was 6 years old, bought Tintin rocket in Brussels — she quenched her thirst of Tintin merchandise when she visited Paris and Brussels. Besides Tintin watch, that iconic rocket is her most-prized collectible item. Tintin comics in French, Dutch and Indonesian, books on Tintin (such as The Complete Companion), t-shirts, movies, umbrellas, clocks and backpack are among her collection.

Dina is another example of an avid Tintin fan, her collection of Tintin comics in various languages is hard to beat. “In total, Tintin comics have been translated into more than 70 languages, including Tahitian, Faeroe, Singhalese et cetera. Some countries even published those comics in their regional dialects — for example, in Spain, Tintin’s adventures are also printed in Basque, Catalan and Esperanto. I only have 26 languages in total, including the ones in Slovenian, Hebrew, Czech, Turkish, Bengali, Icelandic, Egyptian, Greek and Vietnamese,” says Dina.

On January 9, 2004, a Belgian national newspaper Gazet Van Antwerpen published a special edition to commemorate Tintin’s 75th birthday. Scenes taken from various panels in Tintin comics replaced all photos of the actual events.

“For example, instead of putting a photo of the real incident, the news on a car accident is accompanied by a picture of a car accident taken from one of the panels in Tintin comics. However, for the news on Saddam Hussein, they placed the real photo of him,” says Surjo. Due to its rarity and uniqueness, this item is priceless; Surjo and Dina are among the lucky ones who got this treasure.

There are members of Tintin_Id who collect other comics besides Tintin. Yoga Nandiwardhana’s comics collection is include Asterix, Lucky Luke and manga (Japanese comics). Another member, Johan Santosa, also collects other comics, particularly the European ones, such as Trigan and Fishboy: Denizen of the deep. “I do not like American superhero comics,” says Johan.

Hergé’s stories are so engaging, no wonder readers become personally invested in their favorite characters. Syaiful Bahri sometimes attends Tintin_Id community gathering in kilt — Tintin also wore a kilt when he visited Scotland.

Berthold Sinaulan, a big fan of Captain Haddock, sometimes goes to Tintin_Id gathering dressing up as that that retired sailor. When asked whether his characteristics are like Haddock’s attitudes, Berthold laughed. “Well, one thing for sure, unlike him, I neither drink nor smoke,” he says. Mr. Haddock is notoriously famous as a hot-tempered man – however Berthold says that despite his flaws, the captain is a kind-hearted man

All things considered, despite its flaws, The Adventures of Tintin comics are certainly worth a read – Tintin teaches his readers, including members of Tintin_Id, many valuable lessons that shape their view of life. jp

Enjoying sunset in ‘heaven’

The Pan Pacific Bali Nirwana Resort (BNR), owned by the family of millionaire Golkar chairman Aburizal Bakrie, and which recently merged with international hotel chain Pan Pacific, was basking in a heavenly sunset near the Tanah Lot Temple, 25 kilometers from Kuta.

Mixed beauty: The Pan Pacific’s Bali Nirwana Resort, located close to the famous Tanah Lot Temple, sports an international-standard golf course designed by the legendary Greg Norman. JP/Wasti Atmodjo

Hundreds of foreign and local visitors had patiently waited for the sun to go down behind the temple.
Some had spent a leisurely afternoon at the newly opened Cendana restaurant, one of the many attractions of this five-star resort.

“This is one of the best places to watch the beauty of the sunset. The sun usually goes down at the back of the temple creating a perfect scenery. Just now, the sky is very clear,” said Dwi Lismiarni, marketing communication manager for the Pan Pacific Bali Nirwana Resort recently.

Nirwana means heaven in Sanskrit. The site is indeed a blissful place, with a fantastic view of the Bali Strait in the southern part of Bali and located near one of the holiest Hindu temples, Tanah Lot. The Cendana restaurant is part of the 103-hectare Bali BNR currently managed by the Pan Pacific Group.

PT Bali Nirwana Resort, a unit under PT Bakrieland Development Tbk, developed the resort twelve years ago.

”If you need a break from your busy schedule and the hustle and bustle of the glittering but noisy tourist destinations in Bali, Nirwana Resort is your best choice,” Lismiarni said.

The resort has 278 rooms including 245 deluxe rooms, 20 executive suites, 12 villas and one presidential suite.

“We will gradually be renovating the interior of the rooms to adjust to Pan Pacific International Hotel standards and improving our services for our guests,” said Hans G. Winsnes, the general manager of Pan Pacific BNR.

The Pan Pacific Group, he said, has been in Indonesia for many years, however, the group only manages one hotel, the Sari Pan Pacific Hotel in Jakarta.

“After long consideration, we decided to spread our wings to Bali by collaborating with PT BNR to manage this resort,” Winsnes said.

He is sure that faithful guests of the Pan Pacific Group across the world will jump at the opportunity of spending their holidays here at its Bali resort.

“We have many guests from Australia, Japan and Korea, who keep coming back,” added Lisminiarni.

Under the new management of the Pan Pacific Group, the resort feels confident it will draw many more visitors from different geographical zones.

Yudi Rizard Hakim, chief corporate affairs officer of PT Bakrieland, added that 85 percent of the 103-hectare resort area was “green and open” space, and included an 18-hole golf course as well as lush gardens.

“We have an international-standard golf course designed by the legendary Greg Norman. It was the recipient of the Best Golf Course in Indonesia and Asia award,” Hakim said.

Hakim went on to say the company was proud to employ local residents and therefore contribute to the local economy.

“Around 60 percent of our 900 employees come from neighboring areas,” Hakim said. The company’s close relationship with the local community will remain the same, despite the change in the hotel’s management. “Currently, we provide 15 hectares of land for local farmers,” he added.

Bakrieland is currently focusing on developing hotels and resorts in Bali, Lampung and Bogor. The company plans to build a resort in Balikpapan in East Kalimantan too.

“We have other projects in Bali in addition to the Bali Nirwana Resort,” he said.

Next June, the company will open the Pullman Bali Legian Nirwana, a four-star hotel and 300 apartment units in Legian, Kuta.

For those wanting a peaceful, relaxing holiday, the Bali Nirwana Resort could be considered an ideal choice. But people who prefer to be in the middle of the action are more likely to enjoy the planned Legian Nirwana in Kuta. Just one more month to wait. Have a nice holiday in Bali.

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The colors of a good cause

“Just by seeing his artworks, I really feel that he loves Indonesia and Indonesian people — and that’s why I love Ken Pattern and his works in the first place,” said self-confessed art lover, Velichka Bellamy Kasim, on the opening night of the exhibition in Jakarta.

Human greed: Ken Pattern shows his painting Eviction Notice, which reflects human greed in destroying rainforests for the sake of modernization, during the opening of his charity exhibition at the Grand Melia Hotel, Jakarta.

Bellamy also had good reason to be enthusiastic: The paintings are up for sale, the proceeds of which will flow to various Indonesian charities.

Having spent for more than two decades in Indonesia, the Canadian artist is giving back. Over recent years, Pattern has been working with the Canadian Women’s Association (CWA) to direct the proceeds of his art to a good cause.

“Pattern has developed a great love of Indonesia and the Indonesian people,” said Paula Bowers, wife of the Canadian ambassador to Indonesia, during the exhibition opening last week.

Seeing hundreds of Pattern’s works — mostly lithographs — he has created since the 1980s, gives you a sense of his depth as an artist. Capturing contrasting souls in Jakarta — the black and white, the yin and yang, Pattern portrays a unique interpretation of the city, one that is imbued by a longing feeling for Jakarta’s “traditional” life.

“What I love about Jakarta is that it is about two different worlds — the poor and the rich, the old and the new,” Pattern told The Jakarta Post. “Jakarta is just black and white. There’s so much contrast blended all together.”

Jakarta’s contrasting worlds: Ken Pattern’s stone lithograph Benhil, on display during the opening of his charity art exhibition at the Grand Melia Hotel on April 26, 2010, which was organized by the Canadian Women’s Association, portrays the contrast between Jakarta’s two faces, modern and traditional.

Carrying his small digital camera as he wanders around Jakarta’s kampungs, Pattern says he loves capturing traditional elements, such as kampung landscapes and street vendors because he believes that someday, modernization and eviction will wipe them out.

And these two contrasting souls — modernity and traditional culture, are what he portrays in almost of all his drawings and paintings. In one way, he depicts the lives of ordinary people — the vendors with their gerobak (carriages) and bakul (rattan baskets), as well as drivers of bajaj (three-wheeled vehicle) and becak (pedicabs), while in another way, he conveys a message of how Jakarta is losing its “true colors” due to modernization.

His exquisite masterpiece titled Eyewitness, for example, shows an old man sitting in front of his house in an alley of a kampung area looking at the glass and steel skyscrapers that soar above him.

“The old man didn’t know I was taking his picture,” Pattern recalled. “I became interested in him because he’s an old man who has lived longer than that building. He has seen so many changes; the kampung he’s living in is getting smaller and smaller.”

What Pattern calls “the disappearing Jakarta”, was something he accidentally discovered 20 years
ago when he first inspired by the city’s kampungs.

Taking photographs as well as rough sketches of scenes as references for his paintings, Pattern unwittingly recorded historic changes in the landscape.

“It was some many months between the first time seeing a scene and getting down to actually drawing the image,” he said.

On one of the occasions when he returned to the scene, however, he found an empty space where some months before had stood a thriving busy community.

“Soon I realized that much of what I was recording was literally disappearing before my eyes,” Pattern said. “This prompted me to begin recording traditional scenes across the city including those portraying the contrasts of Jakarta,” he added.

Wandering around Jakarta’s kampungs, Pattern revealed, had always been enjoyable, as he met people who were curious about foreigners.

“I always stop and talk to people,” he said and smiled while adding, “I met people who were curious about what a bule [foreigner] was doing there?’”

“I told them: ‘I’m an artist and I’m looking for inspiration’.”

Pattern doesn’t speak Indonesian fluently, but says he knows enough for small talk.

Pattern’s love affair with people and their changing surroundings perhaps grew from his earlier interest in the conflict between humans and their environment.

His early works, in fact, revolved around environmental themes, reflecting his involvement in environmental movements in Canada in the 1970s.

For charity: Invitees to the opening of Ken Pattern’s art exhibition look at reproductions of some of his litographs displayed on a table.

“I’ve have made statements about the environment in my art,” said Pattern, who usually leaves for Vancouver every June to finish his lithography works at Malaspina Studio. And most recently, he went on, “I’ve returned to my long-held interest in the power of nature.”

His most recent oil painting titled Eviction Notice, for example, reflects human greed in destroying rainforests for the sake of modernization.

“The idea is about the last habitat,” said Pattern. “It happens everywhere in the world — it’s a universal problem. It’s about how stupid humans are for not thinking about the future,” he added.

Pattern’s sensitivity about issues of people and environment — as well as the changing Jakarta — is indeed what sets him apart from other artists. As his fan Bellamy pointed out, Pattern depicts the true beauty of Jakarta in a very inspiring and simple way.

“The first time I saw his works I fell in love with them,” said Bellamy, who first saw Patterns works in a calendar.

“I was so impressed with his drawings that I had the pictures in the calendar framed and hung on my walls,” she laughed.

“All of my children and grandchildren truly love them. They told me they had never seen such interesting and beautiful kampung places in Jakarta.”

Whatever the future holds, it seems the memory of Jakarta’s kampungs will survive.

Underwater treasure

“We found ceramic artifacts from China’s Ming dynasty in the waters off Genting Island … indicating the zone used to be a lane for merchant ships as well as war vessels,” archaeologist Priyatno Hadi Sulistyarto told The Jakarta Post recently.

Remarkable find: An archaeologist uncovers an artifact from the Ming dynasty in the Karimun waters. The old artifacts are believed came from the King Wan Li period under the Ming dynasty, China, between 1573 and 1619.

After gathering fragments of ceramic plates, bowls, small boxes and other pieces totaling about 20 objects, an underwater archaeology survey team from Yogyakarta later confirmed the rare objects originated from the King Wan Li period under the Ming dynasty, between 1573 and 1619.

Carried out from July 22 to Aug. 2, 2009, the expedition led by Yogyakarta archaeologists was reportedly the first ever underwater archaeological study in Indonesia.

The Yogyakarta “Indiana Jones” team comprised 16 members who undertook a long journey — fraught with obstacles — from Yogyakarta to reach Karimunjawa, a group of islands located 83 kilometers northwest of Jepara or 120 kilometers north of Semarang.

Lack of funding was one of the main stumbling blocks the expedition faced. “It’s the first underwater survey, but we only received enough money to carry out the land research. It’s very expensive to hire a boat. But we were nevertheless set to begin,” Priyatno said.

Locals from Karimunjawa offered to take the archaeologists out to sea for a ridiculously high sum of money: “One offered his service to show the location of an old sunken vessel. But he asked for Rp 200 million [US$21,000],” said the archaeologist.

As the team left Yogyakarta, Priyatno Hadi from the Yogyakarta Archeology Center, who headed this expedition, kept thinking they would be disappointed upon arrival to the site. “We were sure some treasures had been looted,” said the graduate from Yogyakarta’s Gadjah Mada University.

The archaeologists had obtained a government license for their project, under a 2000 presidential decree — and subsequently a 2007 Presidential Decree on the national committee for the salvage and utilization of valuable cargo derived from sunken vessels.

Article 1 of the decree defines the valuable cargo from sunken vessels (BMKT) as precious objects of historic, scientific and economic value in Indonesian territorial waters, the Indonesian exclusive zone and the Indonesian continental shelf, for at least 10 years.

To archaeologists, BMKT is more significant in terms of scientific development. For this reason, the team members, already in possession of diver’s certificates, agreed to treat their underwater finds as objects of science.

The team consisted of Priyatno Hadi Sulistyarto, Siswanto (Yogyakarta Archeology Center head), T. M. Hari Lelono, Sugeng Riyanto, Sofwan Noerwidi, Heri Priswanto (archaeologists), Z. Dekon Suyanto (artifact handler), Tedy Setyadi (mapping expert), Bakrun (artifact handler) and Slamet Widodo (property officer).

Supporting them were three archaeologists from the Central Java Heritage Conservation Center, Riris Purbasari, Muhamad Junawan and Denny Wahyu Hidayat; and two archaeology students from Gadjah Mada University, Adyanti Putri Ariadi and Camella Sukma Dara. The Post also joined the team, led by dive master Taufik Rahman Arif Budiman.

On the surface: A boat is anchored in the Karimun waters during a serene evening.

Their first researched data on sunken vessels in the Karimunjawa waters. The team decided to explore the site of a submerged ship in Genting Island waters because no divers had searched this area before.
They also used travel notes from the Chronicles of China, stating that Karimunjawa or Karimon or Chi Li Wen used to be an important place for shipping between Wu Yu near Amoy (China) and Tu Ping Shu (Tuban, a coastal town of East Java).

On the first day, the team was divided into two groups – one explored the spot where a ship had sunk near Gundul Island, about two hours’ sail from Genting Island. The first group, lead by Priyatno, boarded an engine-boat owned by Nurochman, a local fisherman.

The team failed to find a shipwreck, mainly because of bad visibility and huge waves.

The second group, however, hit the jackpot. They cruised along the shoreline of Genting Island. With the help of a local, Suminto, they discovered hundreds of thousands of ceramic fragments less than 3.5-meters deep.

The site sought after by archaeologists had been discovered earlier by Karyadi (47), a fisherman from Genting Island. “I found a gentong [jug] when I was fishing in 1998… I named the site gentong,” said Karyadi.

Genting Island fishermen also stumbled upon various ancient ceramics. In 1998, Karyadi recalled a man from Bandung searching for antiques. He bought a dish for Rp 60,000, a bowl for Rp 40,000 and a jug for Rp 70,000.

The news spread to Jakarta. A Jakartan named Iwan met with Karyadi, and asked where the artifacts could be found. “Iwan promised to give me money if there were antiques at the site I showed him,” he added.

Karyadi then witnessed the pillaging of ancient objects from a sunken ship. Many soldiers were guarding the operation. “I went to Jepara to ask Iwan to keep his promise, but he wasn’t there. I ask people to help look for him. But a soldier held me at gunpoint,” he went on.

Perhaps owing to the news about the pricey artifacts, Sugiyanto, the other fisherman on the island, was willing to exchange his slightly damaged boat for a bowl and a small jug. Some Genting islanders still keep the objects they inadvertently found while fishing.

‘Indiana Jones’ team: Archaeologists show ceramics from the Ming era they found in the Karimun waters in Central Java. The archeologists conducted Indonesia’s first underwater archaeological study.

A big clay jug can still be found in the home of Mulyadi, the chief of Genting Island’s community. Mamat, a native islander, also has a clay jug modified into a water receptacle for prayer ablution. Karmin, who once served as a site broker, however, handed over a small ceramic box and a statue of a headless Buddha to the research team.

The Post interviewed Karmin before the team met him. A diabetes patient with a paralyzed right arm, he had been observing the researchers’ activity since their arrival.

Karyadi was aware of the purpose of the team and when prompted, readily assisted the researchers in identifying the site. Island people, consequently, had no qualms with the archaeologists’ operation. The smooth communication enabled the team to record in detail and photograph the artifacts kept by the Genting people.

Some team members also surveyed the tomb at the back of Si Gantung hill, where they found large-sized bricks, porcelain fragments and sacred stone places. Locals call the relic Gadung Wulung. “The site indicates the existence of a dynamic settlement in the past,” said Sugeng Riyanto from the team.

Locals believe the cemetery is the resting place of Nyi Endang Sari, the wife of a nobleman from the Majapahit Kingdom.

Genting Island was vital for shipping because of its abundant source of fresh water, in contrast with the brackish water found on Karimunjawa Island.

But why did so many vessels sink in the archipelago?

“In the stormy season, the group of islands was a safe shelter. But on their way, many sailors were unaware of the presence of coral banks and collided with them,” explained Priyatno.

The search for shipwrecks is not over yet. But the Yogyakarta archaeologists’ discovery of scattered antique ceramic pieces on the seabed can be hailed as a major achievement in underwater archaeology.JP

Wayang Orang Sriwedari: A dying art form

Anybody watching?: Bagong (from left to right), Semar, Petruk, Gareng improvise in a scene from a Mahabharata episode performed at Gedung Wayang Orang (GWO), the Javanese dance-drama theater in Sriwedari Amusement Park, Solo, Central Java.

A performance titled “Permadi-Bratajaya Lair”, part of the Mahabharata epic, was advertised at the entrance of Gedung Wayang Orang (GWO), the Javanese dance-drama theater in Sriwedari Amusement Park, Solo.

But while visitors flocked to the park that evening, the GWO building remained deserted.

Backstage, a number of people were putting on makeup, preparing their wayang costumes and mingling in the intimate atmosphere. Props for the show, headdresses, wigs and different accessories
were still scattered around the dressing room.

When Diwasa Diranagara, the director of the Hindu epic or wayang orang, ordered the troupe members to get ready for the show, all performers quickly slipped into their costumes.

Shortly after 8 p.m., three dancing giants entered the stage and the show began. Sadly, only 20 of the playhouse’s 500 seats were occupied, despite management putting on different shows every evening.

“We have a year-round program with different shows every night,” said Diwasa.

Tickets to the performances only cost Rp 3,000 for a 3-hour traditional dance drama. Ten minutes before the show though, only 13 tickets had been sold.

“Usually, we sell around 20 to 25 tickets. It’s perhaps because of the rain tonight. Over 100 people come to our shows on Saturday nights,” said Puji.

Against all odds: Arjuna fights against giants in a battle scene from the Mahabharata epic. Audience numbers have been steadily declining over the years, as wayang orang now has to compete with many other forms of entertainment.

The Sriwedari Theater is located 2-kilometers West of the Court of Kasunanan Surakarta, on Jl. Slamet Riyadi. Statues of wayang figures, Gatotkaca and Srikandi, stand in front of the building, from which hangs a banner with the slogan, “Love Our Culture”.

Sadly, the playhouse is not well maintained: The roof is partly damaged, the decoration is quite dull. On a more positive note, the sound system is strong and clear and enables the audience to follow the dialogue with ease.

The 85 members of Sriwedari’s wayang orang troupe are passionate about preserving the cultural heritage of Surakarta court. For these artists, the show that originated in the period of Pakubuwono X, reigning from 1893 to 1939, must be kept alive.

The Javanese theater has indeed survived for more than a century. Formerly, the performing arts of Surakarta court under Pakubuwono X, were intended for the entertainment of the royal family.

From 1921, however, wayang orang has been part of the Sriwedari amusement park, offering the public a chance to enjoy this drama-cum-choreography.

Wayang Orang Sriwedari had its heyday from the 1960s to the mid 1980s, with up to 2,000 visitors per month. Since then, however, the theater has struggled. Apart from its falling popularity, its previous status as a Javanese cultural icon is no longer apparent.

According to Tugimin (56), one of Solo’s cultural observers, visitor numbers to the GWO have dwindled as a result of the multitude of other more entertaining arts on offer in town.

“Young people are also fond of modern leisure activities such as hanging out in cafes or revelling. The wayang orang has, as a result, become less popular.”

Tugimin also admitted the quality of the performances had waned.

“In the past, troupe members were very disciplined and I think the stories adopted were quite original. Each show lasted for 4 hours, while today they only last for two,” he said.

With most of it seats vacant, the wayang orang players look a little bored. At least as much is true for Agus Prasetyo, who has been with the troupe for seven years.

“If there are only 10 people watching us, it’s fine, but these conditions affect the mood of the performers. I am disappointed when no one comes, it feels as though no one appreciates this traditional art,” he said.

As for salaries, 90 percent of the Sriwedari performers are civil servants, so their welfare is still a concern.

GWO circles have attempted to attract more visitors in various ways, including through more publicity.

“In addition to announcements, we also publicize our programs through print and electronic media, but ticket sales have not yet significantly increased,” said Diwasa.

The Solo city administration has also played a role in communicating the GWO agenda to the public, by publishing Sriwedari events in the city’s travel journals and tourist brochures.

GWO executives also invite primary, secondary and high school students in an attempt to introduce this centuries-old art to the younger generation.

Head of the Solo Tourism, Art and Culture Office, Purnomo Subagyo, said that besides campaigning for wayang orang through the media, his office had also distributed tickets to employees of the city administration.

“We give them tickets to increase the number of visitors and familiarize the employees’ families with this art. But whether they go to the theater is their own decision, we can not force them,” he added.

Yet Diwasa once indicated that government attention was now decreasing along with declining public interest in this show. “It’s actually hard to say who left us first, the public or the government.”

According to him, the government should promote the show more actively. It’s his hope that aside from material support, the government will also demonstrate its interest by watching the performances themselves.

It’s not simple to revive GWO programs amid the mushrooming cinemas, cafes and other youth hangouts, but it by no means implies this traditional art has to be forgotten.jp