MANGARANTO In Time All Are Together
The Tradition of Migration in the Nusantara (Indonesia)
In essence, culture is dynamic. It is born from the introduction and blending of various collective values. Culture as "work" is the result of human creation to survive and continue life for generation to generation. As an example, the Nusantara (Indonesian) culture continues to change over time due to contact with other cultures. Cross-cultural communication gives birth to languages, ways of transacting between people ,and a diversity of traditions – and even gives birth to economic and political systems.
Following the traces of the Nusantara cultural traditions from the past, built long ago by our ancestors, is an essential step for us to know them today. It is an important obligation for us to maintain and preserve this heritage through the ages. One of the traditions that continues to be preserved from many centuries ago is that of wandering and migrating.
The Nusantara people (Indonesians) are a nomadic people, a diaspora instinctively active in relationships and in the process of acculturation. Since time immemorial, sailing across oceans has been one of the most important ways to know more. Sailing was done not only to discover and learn about new lands, but was also a journey carrying cultures and civilizational knowledge with it to those new lands. Through records of the voyages of Indonesian sailors, it is claimed that they have sailed to all corners of the world starting in the first century AD. Voyages were taken to explore, to accept invitations from other nations, to fight, and to trade spices of the Nusantara. Examples are the Bugis and Makassar sailors trading spices with the aboriginal Yolngu; the Majapahit voyages to Madagascar; the meeting of European sailors in the Malacca Straits; the arrival of Gujarat traders in the Nusantara; and also the Javanese who have lived in Suriname for a long time. All of these things are manifestations of migration that have been carried out by the people of Indonesia (or Nusantara) in the deep past, but which continues to this day. One final example is the theme of my exhibition, “Mangaranto”, a word from the Batak tribe that means to give meaning to a journey.
Mangaranto
“Mangaranto” (or wander, migration in English) is a tradition of the Batak people from North Sumatra Indonesia, who move from one place to another or move from one island to another, to live and settle or seek a better life. This tradition has been passed down from generation to generation by emphasizing the passion to change for the better the fate of the place or country they will live in. Cambridge historian Anthony Reid in his book "An Indonesian Frontier: Acehnese and other histories of Sumatra", stated that the Batak were among the best educated ethnic groups in Indonesia in the 19th century. Batak people are well aware of the importance of education to improve their quality of life. So it's no wonder that the Batak are one of the largest ethnic groups of nomads in the archipelago, or as they call it "mangaranto".
Before someone does “mangaranto”, a traditional ceremony called Mangupa-Upa is performed. This ceremony is usually attended by elders and traditional leaders who will pray for the travelers and give good advice, and are always guarded by God and the ancestors. From this they will get Hamoraon (prosperity), Hagabeon (continuing offspring), Hasangapon (honor/glory). With those three main prayer points and advice taken, the nomads from Batak are strengthened in their determination to realize their dreams anywhere in the world. The USA has become the largest country inhabited by various tribes and cultures, together realizing their highest ideals. Connectivity between the diaspora with different backgrounds, now living in the same country, actually strengthens the core of diversity in that country. It is this communal spirit that makes Batak people with their tradition of "mangaranto" able to mingle with so many peoples peacefully.
In essence, culture is dynamic. It is born from the introduction and blending of various collective values. Culture as "work" is the result of human creation to survive and continue life for generation to generation. As an example, the Nusantara (Indonesian) culture continues to change over time due to contact with other cultures. Cross-cultural communication gives birth to languages, ways of transacting between people ,and a diversity of traditions – and even gives birth to economic and political systems.
Following the traces of the Nusantara cultural traditions from the past, built long ago by our ancestors, is an essential step for us to know them today. It is an important obligation for us to maintain and preserve this heritage through the ages. One of the traditions that continues to be preserved from many centuries ago is that of wandering and migrating.
The Nusantara people (Indonesians) are a nomadic people, a diaspora instinctively active in relationships and in the process of acculturation. Since time immemorial, sailing across oceans has been one of the most important ways to know more. Sailing was done not only to discover and learn about new lands, but was also a journey carrying cultures and civilizational knowledge with it to those new lands. Through records of the voyages of Indonesian sailors, it is claimed that they have sailed to all corners of the world starting in the first century AD. Voyages were taken to explore, to accept invitations from other nations, to fight, and to trade spices of the Nusantara. Examples are the Bugis and Makassar sailors trading spices with the aboriginal Yolngu; the Majapahit voyages to Madagascar; the meeting of European sailors in the Malacca Straits; the arrival of Gujarat traders in the Nusantara; and also the Javanese who have lived in Suriname for a long time. All of these things are manifestations of migration that have been carried out by the people of Indonesia (or Nusantara) in the deep past, but which continues to this day. One final example is the theme of my exhibition, “Mangaranto”, a word from the Batak tribe that means to give meaning to a journey.
Mangaranto
“Mangaranto” (or wander, migration in English) is a tradition of the Batak people from North Sumatra Indonesia, who move from one place to another or move from one island to another, to live and settle or seek a better life. This tradition has been passed down from generation to generation by emphasizing the passion to change for the better the fate of the place or country they will live in. Cambridge historian Anthony Reid in his book "An Indonesian Frontier: Acehnese and other histories of Sumatra", stated that the Batak were among the best educated ethnic groups in Indonesia in the 19th century. Batak people are well aware of the importance of education to improve their quality of life. So it's no wonder that the Batak are one of the largest ethnic groups of nomads in the archipelago, or as they call it "mangaranto".
Before someone does “mangaranto”, a traditional ceremony called Mangupa-Upa is performed. This ceremony is usually attended by elders and traditional leaders who will pray for the travelers and give good advice, and are always guarded by God and the ancestors. From this they will get Hamoraon (prosperity), Hagabeon (continuing offspring), Hasangapon (honor/glory). With those three main prayer points and advice taken, the nomads from Batak are strengthened in their determination to realize their dreams anywhere in the world. The USA has become the largest country inhabited by various tribes and cultures, together realizing their highest ideals. Connectivity between the diaspora with different backgrounds, now living in the same country, actually strengthens the core of diversity in that country. It is this communal spirit that makes Batak people with their tradition of "mangaranto" able to mingle with so many peoples peacefully.
ARTIST STATEMENT
"The drawings that I make on fabric using the drawing batik technique, bring various things together that relate to each other. These are the elements that I build into my batik works: pieces of dreams, live imaginations that are affiliated with socio-cultural patterns/movements, as well as the intersection of traditional and contemporary cultures. In this exhibition the works are not just images of tradition and culture, but also are a manifestation of acculturation through ethnic and digital music, combined with performance art, then collided thoroughly into one amalgamated show. Moreover, through my batik narratives, I want to evoke dimensions of past memories from audiences. I want to be a small link in every dream that has ever existed in their minds, sharing with them the rural atmosphere of the Batak lands, and how there is an element of togetherness in differences, touching on the Batak advice taken by the wanderers – things that have meaning in all lives."
--Dias Prabu
--Dias Prabu