Keris (kris)

Kris from Yogyakarta - Dapur Carubuk

The kris or keris is an asymmetrical dagger indigenous to Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Brunei. It is known as kalis in the southern Philippines. The kris is famous for its distinctive wavy blade, but many have straight blades as well. Both a weapon and spiritual object, kris are often considered to have an essence or presence, with some blades possessing good luck and others possessing bad.
In 2005, UNESCO gave the title Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity to the kris of Indonesia. In return, UNESCO urged Indonesia to preserve their heritage.^[1]

Etymology

The origin of the word kris is uncertain but it is thought to derive from the old Javanese term ngiris which means to stab, wedge or sliver. "Kris" is the more frequently-used spelling in the West, but "keris" is more popular in the dagger's native lands,^[2] as exemplified by the late Bambang Harsrinuksmo's popular book entitled Ensiklopedi Keris (Keris Encyclopedia). Two notable exceptions are the Phillipines, where it is usually called kalis or kris, and Thailand where it is always spelled and pronounced as kris. Other spellings used by European colonists include "cryse", "crise", "criss", "kriss" and "creese".

Origins

Kris history is generally traced through the study of carvings and bas-relief panels found in Southeast Asia. It is widely believed by archaeologists that the earliest kris prototype can be traced to Dong Son in Vietnam circa 300 BC. From there, the design would have been brought into present-day Malaysia by Cham migrants who made their way into the Malay Peninsula twenty centuries ago. Another theory is that the kris was based on daggers from India.^[3] Frey (2003) concludes from Raffles' (1817) study of the Candi Sukuh that the kris recognized today came into existence around 1361 AD in the kingdom of Majapahit. There exist claims of earlier forms predating the Majapahit kris but none are verifiable. In the past, the majority of kris had straight blades but this became less frequent over time. Some of the most famous renderings of a kris appear on the Borobudur temple (825 CE) and Prambanan temple (850CE).^{[citation needed]}
Kris were worn on a daily basis, especially when travelling because it might be needed for self-defense. Heirloom blades were handed down through successive generations and worn during special events such as weddings. Men usually wore only one kris but the famous admiral Hang Tuah is said in the Hikayat Hang Tuah to have armed himself with one short and one long kris. As women were also permitted to learn silat, they sometimes also wore kris, though of a smaller size than a man's.
Kris were often broken in battle and required repairs. Yearly cleanings, required as part of the spirituality and mythology surrounding the weapon, often left ancient blades worn and thin. The repair materials depended on location and it is quite usual to find a weapon with fittings from several areas. For example, a kris may have a blade from Java, a hilt from Bali and a sheath from Madura.
In many parts of Indonesia, the kris was the choice weapon for execution. The executioner's kris had a long, straight, slender blade. The condemned knelt before the executioner, who placed a wad of cotton or similar material on the subject's shoulder or clavicle area. The blade was thrust through the padding, piercing the subclavian artery and the heart. Upon withdrawal, the cotton wiped the blade clean. Death came within seconds.

Technique

The kris usually has a curved pistol-grip hilt that aids in stabbing strikes. It allows the palm of the holding hand to add pressure to the blade while stabbing. A kris only offers minimal protection for the hand by the broad blade at the hilt. In rare cases, the blade may be forged so its axis lies at an angle to the hilt's axis. The intention is to get the blade automatically turning to slip past the ribs but this works poorly and makes the weapon less durable.^{[citation needed]}
In battle, a fighter carried three kris: his own, one from his father-in-law, and one as a family heirloom. The extra two served as parrying daggers but if none were available, the sheath would serve the same purpose.

Cultural beliefs

The making of a kris was the specialised duty of metalworkers called empu or pandai besi. In Bali this occupation was the preserve of the Pande clan, members of whom also made jewellery. Kris-makers did more than forge the weapon, they carried out the old rituals which could infuse the blade with mystical powers. For this reason, kris are considered almost alive because they may be vessels of spirits, either good or evil. Legends tell of kris that could move of their own volition and killed individuals at will. Some kris are rumored to stand upright when their real names are called by their masters. It was said that some kris helped prevent fires, death, agricultural failure, and many other problems. Likewise, they could also bring fortune, such as bountiful harvests. Many of these beliefs, however, were erroneously derived from the possession of different kris by different people. For example, there is a type of kris in Java that was called Beras Wutah, which was believed to grant its possessor an easy life without famine. In reality, this kris was mainly assigned to government officers that were paid, in whole or in part with foodstuff such as rice.
There are several ways of testing whether a kris is lucky or not. A series of cuts on a leaf, based on blade width and other factors, could determine if a blade was good or bad. Also, if the owner slept with the blade under their pillow, the spirit of the kris would communicate with the owner via dream. If the owner had a bad dream, the blade was unlucky and had to be discarded, whereas if the owner had a good dream the dagger would bring good fortune. However, just because a blade was bad for one person didn't mean it would be bad for another. Harmony between the weapon and its owner was critical.
Because some kris are considered sacred and believed to possess magical powers, specific rites needed to be completed to avoid calling down evil fates which is the reason warriors often made offerings to their kris at a shrine. There is also the belief that pointing a kris at someone means they will die soon, so silat practitioners precede their demonstrations by touching the points of the blades to the ground so as to neutralise this effect.

Folk tales

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Ken Arok

One of the most famous legends from Java describes a legendary bladesmith called Mpu Gandring and his impatient customer, Ken Arok. The customer ordered a powerful kris to kill the chieftain of Tumapel, Tunggul Ametung. Ken Arok eventually stabbed the old bladesmith to death because he kept delaying the scheduled completion of the kris. Dying, the bladesmith prophesied that the unfinished or incomplete kris would kill seven men, including Ken Arok. The prophecy finally came true, with four men enlisted as the kris' first death roll, including Mpu Gandring himself, Tunggul Ametung, Kebo Ijo to whom Ken Arok lent the weapon, and finally Ken Arok himself. The unfinished kris then disappeared.^[4][5]
Another version of the tale describes that the kris passed to Ken Arok's stepson Anusapati which in turn killed his stepfather after recognized that his genuine father was killed by Ken Arok with the same kris. The bloody revenge continued on and on until the reign of Kertanegara, the last king of Singhasari kingdom.

Adipati

Another Javanese folk story tells of Arya Penangsang, who was killed by his own kris. The scene happened at the end of a battle to re-unite the collapsed kingdom of Demak-Bintara, fought between Jaka Tingkir of Pajang and Penangsang, of Majapahit royalty. The story tells that he fought the battle with Hadiwijaya's adopted son, who would become the first ruler of the Mataram dynasty, Danang Sutawijaya. Penangsang inadvertently stabbed himself when he sheathed his kris, gutting his own belly. He soon fell down, bathing in his own blood, which was flowing from the wound. While he was dying, he encircled his scattered intestines on his kris. The tradition of putting a jasmine chain around the kris' hilt might have come from this tale.

Kris Taming Sari

The Keris Taming Sari (Taming Sari's kris) is one of the most well-known kris in Malay literature, said to be so skilfully crafted that anyone wielding it was unbeatable. In some versions of the legend, the weapon would granted its user physical invulnerability. Tun Sri Lanang's book, the Sejarah Melayu, tells that it was first used by the champion of Majapahit, a pendekar named Taming Sari. He was defeated in a duel to the death by the Melakan admiral Hang Tuah, after which the king of Majaphit presented the weapon to the victor.^[6]
After being framed by a jealous official, Hang Tuah was ordered to be executed, but he managed to escape and go into hiding with the help of a minister who knew the truth. Hang Tuah's kris and title of Laksamana (admiral) were passed on to his comrade Hang Jebat. Furious that his best friend was unfairly put to death, Hang Jebat rebelled against the royalty and took over the palace. The desperate ruler of Melaka pardoned the minister so long as Hang Tuah could win him back the throne. Having trained under the same master since childhood the two friends were nearly equals but of the two, Tuah was the superior fighter. However, even after a long battle in the palace, neither could best the other because the Kris Taming Sari evened the odds. Only after taking his weapon back did Hang Tuah manage to stab Jebat, who died soon after by the kris' poison.^[6]

Kris as a symbol

Hishammuddin Hussein's infamous waving of the kris as a symbol of Malay supremacy at the 2005 United Malays National Organisation Annual General Meeting

The kris is depicted on different coats and logos. For example, it can be seen on an obverse copper-zinc-tin RM1 coin with a songket pattern in the background. The Malaya and British Borneo dollar 1 cent coin of 1962 also depicted a pair of crossed kris.
Since the independence of Malaysia, the kris has become something of a symbol of Malay nationalism. It is still regarded by some as a symbol of ketuanan Melayu, the doctrine of Malay as the definitive race.

Jaipongan Dance

Jaipongan is a popular traditional dance of Sundanese people, West Java, Indonesia. The dance was created by Gugum Gumbira, based on traditional Sundanese Ketuk Tilu music and Pencak Silat movements.

[edit] History

In 1961, Indonesian President Sukarno prohibited rock and roll and other western genres of music, and challenged Indonesian musicians to revive the indigenous arts. Gugum Gumbira took up the challenge, and studied rural dance and festival music for twelve years. Jaipongan, or Jaipong, was the most popular result of his study, derived from the updating of a village ritual music called ketuk tilu, with moves from Pencak Silat, the Indonesian martial art, and music from the masked theater dance, Topeng Banjet, and the Wayang Golek puppet theater.
In the original ketuk tilu, the group typically consists of the ketuk tilu pot-gong, other small gongs, a rebab (spike fiddle), barrel drums, and a female singer-dancer (ronggeng) who is often also a prostitute, who invites men to dance with her sensually. Gugum expanded the drum section as part of an urban gamelan orchestra, sped up the music, redefined the singer as just a singer (sinden), and came up with the catchy onomatopoeic name. Many listeners consider the music very complex, with the dynamic rhythm liable to change seemingly randomly.
Jaipongan debuted in 1974 when Pak Gugum and his gamelan and dancers first performed in public. Sporadic government attempts to suppress it due to its perceived immorality (it inherited some of the sensuality of ketuk tilu) just made it more popular. It survived even after the official Indonesian ban on foreign pop music was lifted after a few years, and became a craze in the 1980s. Since the mid-1980s Jaipongan’s importance as a social dance has waned, but it remained popular as a stage dance, performed by women, mixed couples or as a solo.
The most widely available album of Jaipongan outside Indonesia is "Tonggeret", featuring singer Idjah Hadidjah and Gugum Gumbira's Jugala orchestra, released in 1987, and re-released as part of "WestJava: Sundanese Jaipong and other Popular Music", by Nonesuch Records under their Explorer Series label.

Dangdut

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Music of Indonesia
Gongs from Java
Timeline • Samples
Genres
Classical • Kecak • Kecapi suling • Tembang sunda • Pop • Dangdut • Hip hop • Kroncong • Gambang kromong • Gambus • Jaipongan • Langgam jawa • Pop Batak • Pop Minang • Pop Sunda • Qasidah modern • Rock • Tapanuli ogong • Tembang jawa
Specific Forms
Gamelan • Angklung Beleganjur • Degung • Gambang • Gong gede • Gong kebyar • Jegog • Joged bumbung • Salendro • Selunding • Semar pegulingan
Regional Music
Bali • Borneo • Java • Moluccan Islands • Papua • Sulawesi • Sumatra • Sunda

Dangdut is a genre of Indonesian popular music that is partly derived from Malay, Arabic and Hindustani music. It developed in the 1970s among working class Muslim youth, but beginning in the late 1990s reached a broader following in Indonesia, Malaysia and the southern Philippines.^[1][2]
A dangdut band typically consists of a lead singer, male or female, backed by four to eight musicians. Instruments usually include a tabla, mandolin, guitars, and synthesizers. The term has been expanded from the desert-style music, to embrace other musical styles.^[1] Modern dangdut incorporates influences from Middle Eastern pop music, Western 'rock,' house music, hip-hop, R&B, and reggae.^[1][3]

Culture

Most major cities, especially on Java, have one or more venues that have a dangdut show several times a week. The concerts of major dangdut stars are also broadcast on television.
Beginning in 2003, dangdut became the focus of a national controversy in Indonesia over religion in public life and images of sexuality in media in response to performances by singer Inul Daratista that religious conservatives described as "pornography". Street protests called for Daratista's banning from television, and legislation, not passed as of 2007, was introduced in the People's Consultative Assembly calling for the abolition of a broad range of activities described as pornography.^[4]
Because the popularity of the genre, some movies and TV show use Dangdut themes such as Rhoma Irama's movies and Rudy Soedjarwo's Mendadak Dangdut.

Performance artists

Leading dangdut artists include:

• Rhoma Irama (The "King of Dangdut"^[1])
• Elvy Sukaesih (The "Queen of Dangdut"^[1])
• Inul Daratista (Creator of Goyang Inul which sparked an anti-pornography controversy)
• Evie Tamala
• Mansyur S.
• A. Rafiq
• Dewi Yull
• Fahmy Shahab
• Meggy Z.
• Camelia Malik
• Dorce Gamalama

Criticism

Even though stated as "True Indonesian Music", many people criticized the music as "a copycat to Malaysian, Arabian and Hindustani Music".^{[citation needed]} This genre was also criticize of representing "Eroticism" and "Backward-minded Culture".

Kroncong

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Music of Indonesia
Gongs from Java
Timeline • Samples
Genres
Classical • Kecak • Kecapi suling • Tembang sunda • Pop • Dangdut • Hip hop • Kroncong • Gambang kromong • Gambus • Jaipongan • Langgam jawa • Pop Batak • Pop Minang • Pop Sunda • Qasidah modern • Rock • Tapanuli ogong • Tembang jawa
Specific Forms
Gamelan • Angklung Beleganjur • Degung • Gambang • Gong gede • Gong kebyar • Jegog • Joged bumbung • Salendro • Selunding • Semar pegulingan
Regional Music
Bali • Borneo • Java • Moluccan Islands • Papua • Sulawesi • Sumatra • Sunda

Kroncong (pronounced "kronchong") is the name of a ukulele-type instrument and an Indonesian musical style that typically makes use of the kroncong, a flute, and a female singer.

Characteristics

The name "Kroncong" may be derived from the jingling sound of the kerincing rebana, as heard in the rhythmic background to the music created by the interlocking of instruments playing on or off the beat. This background rhythm runs faster than the (often) slow vocal or melody, and is created, typically, by two ukuleles, a cello, a guitar and a bass. These instruments, especially the pair of ukeleles, interlock as do the instruments in a gamelan orchestra, and it is clear that the musical traditions of Indonesia have been applied to an orchestra of European instruments.
One ukulele, called the "cak" (pronounced "chak") may be steel-stringed and the instrumentalist strums chords with up to 8 strums per beat in 4/4 rhythm. The off-beat strums are accentuated. The other ukulele, called the "cuk" (pronounced "chook"), is larger and may have 3 gut or nylon strings. The instrumentalist may pluck arpeggios and tremoloes using a plectrum, and the on-beat is emphasised. As a set, the cak and cuk form an interlocking pair that mostly gives Kroncong its characteristic kron and chong.
The cello may have 3 gut or nylon strings and chords are plucked rapidly, often with a unique skipped-beat, using the thumb and one finger. This instrument then adds both rhythm and tone. The guitar may play similarly to either cak or cuk but, more often, plays extended scalar runs that provide an undulating background to a chord or bridge chord changes. The bass often is played in a minimalist style reminiscent of the large gongs in a gamelan.
On top of this rhythmic layer the melody and elaborate ornamentation is carried by a voice, flute or violin. The violin or flute are used to play introductory passages (often elaborate), fills and scalar runs, both faster and more elaborate than the guitar. The vocalist sings the melody which, in traditional Kroncong, is slow with sustained notes.
The repertoire largely uses the Western major key with some arrangements in the minor. One departure from this occurs when Kroncong orchestras play Javanese songs (Langgam Jawa). Javanese music ordinarily uses scales and intervals that do not occur in Western music. Kroncong Jawa maintains Western intervals but adopts a 5-tone scale that approximates one of the main Javanese septatonic scales. When playing this style, cak and cuk leave their characteristic interplay and both play arpeggios to approximate the sound and style of the Javanese instrument the siter, a kind of zither. The cello adopts a different rhythmic style as well.

History

Kroncong music began in the 16th century as sailors from the Portuguese Empire brought Bobian instruments and music to Indonesia. Lower-class citizens and gangs, commonly called buaya (a reference to "buaya darat" or crocodile on land, a term used to describe playboys to this day) adopted the new musical styles. Eventually, they were assimilated by the upper-class citizens. Paul Fisher writes,

The small kroncong guitar, also the name of a music, is derived from the Portuguese braguinha, sharing its root with the Hawaiian ukulele. Kroncong music is believed to have originated in the communities of freed Portuguese slaves in the 16th century. European influence from this time can also be heard in the music of the Batak people of North Sumatra, and from the end of the 19th century, the beginnings of guitar accompaniment incorporated within a distinctly Indonesian idiom in music from Sumatra, South Sulawesi and elsewhere.^[1]

Kroncong (currently spelled Keroncong in Indonesian) is now considered old-fashioned folk music by most Indonesian youth, although efforts have been made since the 1960s to modernise the genre by adding electric guitars, keyboards and drums, notably in so-called Pop Keroncong sung by Hetty Koes Endang. The melancholic spirit of traditional, acoustic Kroncong (so similar to Portuguese Fado music) has been recorded by Samuel Quiko and the members of his Jakartan Krontjong Tugu Orchestra, who have performed at the well-known Pasar Malam in The Hague.

TEMPAT WISATA SEJARAH DI BANDUNG

Dalam rangka hut Kota Bandung yang ke-200, Saya ikut memeriahkan dengan memposting beberapa tempat wisata sejarah yang ada di kota Bandung.

Berikut Daftar Tempat Wisata Sejarah di Kota Bandung :

1. Gedung Merdeka


Gedung Merdeka di jalan Asia-Afrika, Bandung, Indonesia, adalah gedung yang pernah digunakan sebagai tempat Konferensi Tingkat Tinggi Asia-Afrika tahun 1955. Pada saat ini digunakan sebagai museum.


2. Museum Sri Baduga


Museum Sri Baduga merupakan sebuah museum yang terletak di kota Bandung, provinsi Jawa Barat, Indonesia.
Museum ini dikelola oleh pemerintah propinsi Jawa Barat, yang mulai didirikan pada tahun 1974 dengan memanfaatkan bangunan lama bekas Kawedanan Tegallega, yang kemudian diresmikan pada tanggal 5 Juni 1980 oleh Menteri Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan waktu itu, Daoed Joesoef.
Penamaan museum ini diambil dari gelar salah seorang raja Pajajaran sebagaimana tertulis pada Prasasti Batutulis. Dan kemudian ditetapkan melalui Kepmendikbud nomor 02223/0/1990 tanggal 4 April 1990.

3. Museum Geologi

Museum Geologi didirikan pada tanggal 16 Mei 1928. Museum ini telah direnovasi dengan dana bantuan dari JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency). Setelah mengalami renovasi, Museum Geologi dibuka kembali dan diresmikan oleh Wakil Presiden RI, Megawati Soekarnoputri pada tanggal 23 Agustus 2000. Sebagai salah satu monumen bersejarah, museum berada di bawah perlindungan pemerintah dan merupakan peninggalan nasional. Dalam Museum ini, tersimpan dan dikelola materi-materi geologi yang berlimpah, seperti fosil, batuan, mineral. Kesemuanya itu dikumpulkan selama kerja lapangan di Indonesia sejak 1850.

4. Museum Wangsit Mandala Siliwangi


Museum Wangsit Mandala Siliwangi adalah museum senjata yang berada di Bandung, Jawa Barat.
Nama Siliwangi sendiri adalah seorang pendiri Kerajaan Pajajaran yang kekuasaanya tak terbatas, konon raja yang arif dan bijaksana serta wibawa dalam menjalankan roda pemerintahaan, sedangkan arti Mandala Wangsit adalah sebuah tempat untuk menyimpan amanat, petuah atau nasihat dari pejuang masa lalu kepada generasi penerus melalu benda-benda yang ditinggalkannya.
Nama jalan tempat museum ini, Jl. Lembong, diambil dari nama Letkol Lembong, salah satu prajurit Siliwangi yang menjadi korban dalam Peristiwa Kudeta Angkatan Perang Ratu Adil. Sebelumnya jalan itu bernama Oude Hospitaalweg.

5. Gedung Yayasan Pusat KebudayaanGedung Yayasan Pusat Kebudayaan (YPK) merupakan sebuah bangunan bersejarah di kota Bandung, Jawa Barat, Indonesia.
Gedung YPK ini berlokasi di Jl. Naripan No. 7 Bandung dan sekarang gedung ini berfungsi sebagai tempat pergelaran pertunjukan seni dan budaya. Gedung ini juga dapat digunakan untuk acara seminar, kongres, pertemuan, bahkan untuk pesta perkawinan atau pesta perpisahan sekolah.

6. Gedung Indonesia Menggugat

Gedung Indonesia Menggugat Adalah Gedung tempat Presiden Pertama RI Ir. Soekarno melaksanakan Persidangan.


7. Gedung Pakuan



Gedung Pakuan saat ini merupakan rumah dinas yang dijadikan sebagai tempat kediaman resmi Gubernur Kepala Daerah Provinsi Jawa Barat. Gedung ini beralamat di Jalan Otto Iskandardinata No.1, Bandung. Di zaman kolonial Belanda merupakan rumah kediaman resmi Residen Priangan.

8. Gedung Sate



Gedung Sate, dengan ciri khasnya berupa ornamen tusuk sate pada menara sentralnya, telah lama menjadi penanda atau markah tanah Kota Bandung yang tidak saja dikenal masyarakat di Jawa Barat, namun juga seluruh Indonesia bahkan model bangunan itu dijadikan pertanda bagi beberapa bangunan dan tanda-tanda kota di Jawa Barat. Misalnya bentuk gedung bagian depan Stasiun Kereta Api Tasikmalaya. Mulai dibangun tahun 1920, gedung berwarna putih ini masih berdiri kokoh namun anggun dan kini berfungsi sebagai gedung pusat pemerintahan Jawa Barat.


9. Gedung Dwi Warna



Gedung Dwi Warna adalah suatu bangunan bersejarah di Kota Bandung, Jawa Barat, yang dipergunakan sebagai tempat rapat komisi pada Konferensi Asia Afrika (1955). Gedung ini pernah menjadi Gedung Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Daerah Jawa Barat dan gedung Sekretariat KAA Tahun 1955. Seusai KAA, bangunan ini dijadikan sebagai Kantor Pusat Pembayaran Pensiunan (KP3), lalu Kantor Pusat Administrasi Belanja Pegawai dan Pensiun (KPABPP), lalu menjadi Subdirektorat Pengumpulan Data (SDPD) kemudian menjadi Pusat Pengolahan Data dan Informasi Anggaran (PPDIA) sampai tahun 2001. Kini, gedung tersebut dipergunakan oleh Direktorat Jenderal Perbendaharaan Departemen Keuangan Republik Indonesia Kantor Wilayah XII Bandung.


10. Villa Isola



Villa Isola adalah bangunan villa yang terletak di kawasan pinggiran utara Kota Bandung. Berlokasi pada tanah tinggi, di sisi kiri jalan menuju Lembang (Jln. Setiabudhi), gedung ini dipakai oleh IKIP (Institut Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan) Bandung, yang sekarang menjadi Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia-UPI). Villa Isola adalah salah satu bangunan bergaya arsitektur Art Deco yang banyak dijumpai di Bandung.



Itulah beberapa Tempat Wisata Sejarah yang ada di Wilayah Kota Bandung,

Selamat Berwisata di Kota Bandung......^_^