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MULTIPLE IDENTITIES VIA SPIRITUALITY, HISTORIES AND CULTURAL RE-PRESENTATIONS 183An Active VolcanoLocated in that part of the globe known as the PacificRing of Fire, Indonesia is home to 129 volcanoes(Dove 2006, 240). Mount Merapi, located along theboundary of the Special Province of Yogyakarta andCentral Java, is considered the most active. It has aneruption span of 3.5 years on the average.The volcano is reported to have erupted 61times sincethe mid-1500s, and claimed an estimated 7,000 lives(Lavigne et al. 2008, 280). Of the 61 eruptions, 14were considered major in terms of scale and damage(Dove 2006).The very first recorded eruption of Mount Merapitook place in 1006 when it is said to have buried theBuddhist temple of Borobudur that led to the end ofthe Mataram Kingdom. As a consequence, Buddhismmigrated to Bali, and Java was Islamized (Coedes 1968,128; Decker and Decker, 1997; Dove 2006, 240).However, Mount Merapi’s deadliest eruption was in1672, during which it claimed an estimated 3,000 lives(Dove 2006, 241).A Source of LifeAlthough the volcano is potentially dangerous to theresidents along its slope and in the nearby areas, itsfertile soil, a consequence of previous eruptions,enables the people as well as their cattle, sheep, andother farm animals, to thrive in the area.Likewise, rock and sand mining activities are sources oflivelihood in the volcano. Every day, hundreds oftrucks go to several riverbeds of the volcano to exploitits rich sand. The accumulated profits thus derivedimmensely aid the local economy and facilitatedevelopment projects in Yogyakarta.Also, tempat penginapan (sleeping areas for tourists)are aplenty a few kilometers from the peak of thevolcano. Souvenir shops in the vicinity also sell t-shirtsand videos of past volcanic eruptions, furtheraugmenting revenue from local tourism. Theseeconomic activities are considered the gifts of disasters.A “Kingdom”However, for many residents, Mount Merapi is notmerely a volcano, just as its eruptions are not just theusual volcanic activities. Dwellers along its slopeactually consider it to be very mystical. Hadmoko(2010) said, ‘The people in Mount Merapi believe thatthe eruption is associated with the local beliefs of thepeople”. In fact, many volcanoes in Indonesia are thefocus of several mystical beliefs and local cultures.There are dwellers who perceive the past and futurevolcanic eruptions of Mount Merapi as “acts of gods”or as divine in nature (Dove 2006; Lavigne et al. 2008).Consequently, some dwellers pay reverence to them(Lavigne et al. 2008).The strong Javanese culture, which gives importanceto mystical traditions, spirit cults, ancestor worship,and spiritual healing, is responsible for this perceptionof eruptions. Additionally, inhabitants along the slopeof Mount Merapi have personified the volcano, callingit Mbah Merapi (Elder Merapi). This patriarchalreverence for the volcano is seen as very positive ratherthan as a source of peril (Dove 2006; Lavigne et al.2008).In Mount Merapi, the religious beliefs of the peoplecan be classified into animism, Hinduism, Buddhism,and Islam. In the Javanese religion called kejawen, fourfigures guard the Mataram Kingdom, namely:1. Kanjeng Ratu Kidul — the Princess of theSouth Seas who is believed to influence theactivity of Mount Merapi. She is considered(thought to be? Thought as) the wife ofPenambahan Senopati, the First Sultan ofYogyakarta2. Sunan Merapi (Eyang/Kyai Sapujagad) — hiskingdom is located at the peak of MountMerapi3. Sunan Lawu — last king of the MajapahitKingdom, and4. Semar — a wayang (puppet) figure who isbelieved to guide the Sultan of Yogyakarta onspiritual matters.As expressed by Endri (2010), other people [outsiders]deem that, “the volcanic eruptions are just the usualvolcanic activities. However, for many residents whowere born, grew up, and immensely bonded themselveswith the volcano, the volcanic activity has a differentmeaning”. Sarmin (2010) shares the thoughts of Endri.For him, Mount Merapi is “a palace where variousspirits dwell”.The Work of the 2010/2011 API Fellows
184 Panel 4To many dwellers, the active volcano is not justinhabited by human beings, but also by supernaturalcreatures. Tika (2010) narrates:Kanjeng Ratu Kidul gave Penambahan Senopatian endhong jagat (egg) to eat as a sign of her love.However, Ki Juru Taman, a loyal follower of theSultan, advised the leader not to eat it. Instead,the servant was the one who ate the egg. Aftereating the egg, the servant suddenly transformedinto a gigantic mystical creature. Afterwards, theSultan searched for a place where the creaturecan live. He chose Mount Merapi. The servant’sname was then changed to Eyang/KyaiSapujagad, the Guardian of Mount Merapi.Aside from Eyang/Kyai Sapujagad, anothersupernatural creature that supposedly resides inMount Merapi is Mbah Petruk (Elder Petruk).Istiyanto (2010) shared that, “Mbah Petruk was taskedto warn the people or provide information about animpending eruption, so that people can preparethemselves”.Figure 2: Imaginary line that connects Mt. Merapi, Tugu, Palace in Yogyakarta, and Parangtritis Beach. (Source: Professor Sunarto,UGM)Also, it is believed that there is a strong connectionbetween Mount Merapi vis-à-vis the ParangtritisBeach in the south (the residence of Kanjeng RatuKidul) and the Kraton at the center (Palace of theSultan of Yogyakarta). The people of Yogyakartaadjudge that there exists an imaginary line, whichpreserves the balance between the three (see Figure 2).In order to maintain the balance of power between theleaders of each kingdom, regular rituals have to becarried out. Consequently, the safety of the people isguaranteed in times of danger and disasters.Tika (2010) held that “Mt. Merapi has been getting itslife from the balance between the spirits, God, andnature. Although it is a mere mountain, however, it is aspring of life to a lot of people, particularly to thosewho dwell in its slopes”.LOCAL KNOWLEDGEThis section provides documented local knowledge ofthe residents in Mount Merapi. The collectivememories, jargons, rituals and perceptions of thecommunities on volcanic eruptions will behighlighted.Collective MemoriesAccording to Banzon-Cabanilla (2011), socialmemory is key to becoming resilient and adaptive todisasters and it is a form of local knowledge. Socialmemory is knowledge that “encodes the perceived,remembered and reconstructed historical experiences ofenvironmental variability and extreme events and theperceived, remembered, and reconstructed ways thatsocieties in the past reacted to these challenges” (Redmanand Kinzig 2003, 10).What specific volcanic eruptions does the communityrecall therefore? What were the impacts of thesedisasters? What resources did the community useduring the disasters? What were the difficultiesencountered? How do local history and the collectiverecollection of previous disaster experiences matter indisaster preparedness?The Work of the 2010/2011 API Fellows
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CULTURE, POWER AND PRACTICES:THE GL
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viABOUT THE BOOKCULTURE, POWER AND
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viiiACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThe API Coordin
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x(co-authored with Gunawan Wiradi,
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xiiSri Wahyuni is the director of t
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xivThe gap between rich and poor is
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xviand development mainly: Economy,
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xviiiIn closing, I would like to qu
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xxmovements to defend their rights,
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xxiicomplex relationships between f
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xxivIndonesian Academy of Social Sc
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MULTIPLE MODERNITIES: GLOBALIZATION
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POTENTIAL OF LOCAL KNOWLEDGE AND PR
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58 Panel 2(Left) Kurazukuri are anc
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FLUX AND FLOWS OF PEOPLE, POWER AND
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OPENING REMARKS AND OVERVIEWDr. Rat
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247There is also a massive movement
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249need to be looked at, as globali
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251Appendix IWorkshop ScheduleThe T
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25313:00 - 15:00 Concluding PanelCh
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255THAILANDAroon Puritat, Artist an
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257RAPPORTEURSGarry MorrisonMarian
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Communication, Education and Public
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261have used tourism as a mechanism
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263Panel 4: Multiple Modernities vi
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265out how Asian women politicians
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267CONTACT DETAILS (as of March 201
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