Back in 1990′s when I took my final project for my Bachelor’s degree of Art, I took a theme that was focused on supernatural beings derived from traditional spiritual beliefs specifically in Java where I live and well known from time to time of their strong mysticism.
It was very difficult to find information about these archaic knowledge, owing to the fact that internet information those days were still scarce, our library archives had almost zero inventory for history references. You probably have to get a golden ticket to our National Library to have a direct access to the hidden treasures. Don’t be surprised, if it is written in any other languages other than our language, Indonesian, they are probably in classic Javanese literature written in old forms of manuscript, or in any other foreign languages. ( I’m still appaled towards our local people if they proudly use ‘Bahasa’ (translated as ‘language’) in expressing a translation for ‘Indonesian’ (linguistic-wise). They are so lazy to even add ‘Indonesia’ after ‘Bahasa’.)
Fortunately, my college teacher had in his safe keeping this very precious knowledge typed in a document. Often in his generosity as he always did, he shared this arcane valuables. Correct me if I’m wrong but I still can’t find any form of evidence similar to which he gave me except one, which I’m going to explain to you later.
My deep interest initially began when a friend of mine introduce me to the brilliant works of Brian Froud, specifically deals with faeries and other folklore entity around the area of Celtic, Welsh, Scotland and Irish regions. I was unaware of my own local myths and legends that I began my search for them.
It turned out to be my most blessed auspicious moment, since I was fully conscious that very few people have this buried diamond in keep. To make the most of it, since it fascinates me without end, it became very useful toward my first novel writings. Some characters has it’s origins from it, and some others I just obtain directly, adding a bit spice but still pertaining their status as the early inhabitants of Java Island before human ever existed.
About a year ago, I bought a book which has almost similar content in a larger scope (when I mention large, it covers almost all aspects, you can find rituals, calendar system, each nature objects that has supernatural powers and much more) but still lacks some elements contained in the documents that I have in my possession. (So hats off to Pak Haryadi Suadi, my deepest gratitude.)
This book written by Capt. R. P. Suyono, titled “Dunia Mistik Orang Jawa” (The Mystical World of Javanese People), published in 2007 by LKis, brought nostalgic thrills. Again, we should be very grateful that we still can save some of our priceless peace of history that didn’t undergo the same fate as those did in “Bonfire of the Vanities”. I think it won’t go well with our Menadonese Coelacanth, witnessing how ignorant those fisherman did in youtube (I would do the same though, knowing it’s just an ugly monster as oppose to the exotic most ancient living fish ever to survive the ice age and witnessing the chaotic cataclysm that drowned Atlantis, wow!).
I wish that more of our treasures are found and made known to public as this one. We still have 297 more ethnics to explore, with almost 600 languages and dialects. Now being said, I fully understand the mentality of our people when “you know what” “borrowed” some of our traditional arts and claim it was theirs from the very beginning. We got hundred of thousands more. A handful of pieces lost, didn’t hurt a fly.
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