Every 70 days, on a Selasa wage day according to the Javanese calendar, archers, in Mataram-kingdom style, gather at Kemandungan, inside the Yogyakarta Palace complex, to compete.
Dressed in complete Javanese costume, except for the women archers, these Javanese archers -- who are mostly over 50 years of age, aim at the bandulan (targets) set some 30 meters away. The bandulan, or wong-wongan, which are made to resemble a human body, are made of dried rice stalks. Some 30 centimeters long, each is wrapped in a piece of white cloth and hung a meter above the ground. The upper part of the bandulan is colored red and is considered by the archers to be the head, while the rest is the body. Once the official shouts ""start"" in Javanese, dozens of arrows are fired at the bandulan. A bende (small gong) is struck every time an arrow hits a target.
""One strike for the body, two for the head,"" Kanjeng Raden Tumenggung (KRT) Seno Broto, chairman of the organizing committee of the traditional archery competition Jemparingan Mataraman Selasa Wagen, explained. Selasa wage day is chosen to commemorate the birthday of the sultan of Yogyakarta Palace, Sultan Hamengkubuwono X. During the rule of Hamengkubuwono IX, the traditional archery competition was held every Sabtu pahing, HB IX's birthday, or every 35 days. Besides Yogyakarta Palace, a similar competition is also conducted every 35 days at Puro Pakualaman principality every Sabtu pahing, the birthday of KGPAA Paku Alam IX.
The traditional archery competition is unique and quite unlike modern archery. Instead of standing, for example, the archers are seated, while aiming at the target. Traditional gamelan music, usually music with a slow beat like uyon-uyon gadon, accompanies them while shooting. In the past, the music was performed live. At present, however, due to a lack of funds, a cassette is used. A lack of funds, too, according to Seno Broto who is also a royal servant of the Yogyakarta Palace, has impeded the regeneration of this unique sport. It's not surprising, therefore, to note that most of the participating archers are over 50.
Relaxing is another word to describe how the participants feel about the traditional archery competition. In this particular competition, participating archers are required to have 20 rambahan, or rounds each, in which a maximum of four arrows may be released by each of the archers. When all the participants have had their turn, the official will signal them to stop and let the cucuk, children assigned to pick up the arrows and give them back to the archers, do their job.
In refined Javanese, the official will then politely invite all the participants to take a break to enjoy the prepared snacks or the strong, sweet tea served. Some are seen smoking during the break. ""I like the sport because it is relaxing. It's not emotional; just like fishing,"" said Sujarwardi, 64, a participant from Imogiri, Bantul who had two white flags with him that afternoon meaning that two of his arrows had successfully hit the target.
Rimawan, a royal servant of Puro Pakualaman principality, concurred, saying that the sport was not only good for his health, but was also good for his emotional wellbeing. ""If you want success, you have to shoot with feeling. Otherwise the arrow will break like this one,"" said Rimawan, showing a broken arrow he had just released that hit the wall behind the target.
Indah Yuwono, a woman archer from the neighboring town of Klaten, Central Java, says she likes the sport because it is stress releasing. That afternoon Indah had two red flags and a white flag with her, meaning that two of her arrows had hit the head of the bandulan while one had hit the body. In the competition, Indah, like the other women, is not required to wear a complete Javanese costume. A jarik (long batik cloth that a Javanese woman usually wears around her waist down to the feet like a skirt) is enough.
The happiest archer that Tuesday afternoon was Sukro Kusmanto, as three of his four arrows hit the bandulan in a single round. For the achievement he got the selaksan or prize of Rp 10,000. In the past, according to Seno Broto, in such a competition archers competed for a gold medal from the palace or ekoloyo. The medal was given only to the archer whose all four arrows hit the bandulan in a single round. ""It's of course very difficult to achieve,"" Seno said.
The traditional archery competition usually finishes when dusk is approaching and ends with the presentation of the prizes and trophies from the sponsors. In 70 days, these archers will meet again for another competition. It is unfortunate indeed that such a rare and unique traditional sport and cultural event seems to have been overlooked by both domestic and foreign tourists visiting Yogyakarta. In fact, it could be an interesting tourist attraction.
Sumber:
The Jakarta Post.
