Mt Bromo - an alert to erupt

At three thirty pm, 24^th November 2010, my mother called. “Where are you?” “I’m at a point where the crater of mount bromo is just right in front of me”

“Are you nuts! You know the government have announced that bromo is in a critical condition to be erupted”. “I know mum”. “ So, what are you waiting for. Go home!”.

“But mum, no one here is worry about the mountain, so why should I” “Do you know in Merapi. No one was worry as well. They believed in Marijan – the mountain spiritual keeper – until the boiling cloud flattened many villages including him. So once things change, move out from tengger”. “Yes, mum. I will”.

Well, a mother is a mother. No mother in this world is willing to lose their children, especially as a victim of an “angry” volcano. In Merapi, Central Java, a volunteer felt so bad when an injured mother gave him her child to be rescued. He planned to return for her but a few minutes later, a boiling cloud came down from the volcano and burned down the whole village, including the mother. My mother is so worry that Mt Bromo will produce similar boiling cloud as Merapi and burn things down, including me to become “retno’s barbeque”.

After receiving my mother’s call, I joined park rangers at their post. Mt Bromo is a national park established in 1982. The breath taking view of the volcanoes, various level of mountainous ecosystem dispersion and its strong cultural - religious relationship with the locals are the main considerations of its establishment. Mt Bromo is the major tourist destination in East Java Province. But now, the park rejects any visitors. Many local tourists cancelled their trips and make the hotels rate slope down to less than 50% occupation. But the international tourists are still there. The angrier the volcano is, the more breath taking view they would get. To date, the crater smokes big white-sulfured clouds up to the sky, about 300 meters of height. It is indeed fantastic.

I joined the rangers greeting a long line of cars came up from downhill. There were vice governor of East Java province, the head of district of Probolinggo, the police chief officers at provincial level and many more important people. They are going to discuss about actions required if the mountain erupted. Several tents for refugees are erected at 3 spots downhill, about 15 km from the crater. Many more tents will be erected in a few days. An ambulance is ready as well at the nearest hotel. I saw policemen all around. Though there are almost no visitors, but those policemen gave my old friend – Asih – a fortune to her small informal coffee shop. Another group of army will arrive in the next day for a back up. Those people look so panic. The government, the army, the policemen, red cross and definitely, the electronic media which give a live program of the mountain’s situation regularly. While the locals – including many rangers – are so relax facing the phenomenon.

The last eruption of Mt Bromo occurred in 2004. The volcano threw tons of stones as big as human fist to all over it. It was so sudden. Tourism activities occurred as normal that day and two visitors died, hit by the stones, an Indonesian and a Singaporean. Not locals, the tenggereses. There were many “nundans” – the local who escort and rent their horses to visitors – at the time but none of them hit by the stones. None of the locals run to save their life. They just stood still as they believed the stones would never harm them. I was told that the victims previously insulted the sacredness of Mt Bromo. The late Singaporean threw a stone to the crater and the crater threw the stone back to him, but bigger and many more. For the Indonesian, he was a teen ager. His father warned him of giving him to the crater if he kept annoying his parent. Then, his father’s word fulfilled, the crater took the boy off from him. Mt Bromo is a sacred place. So, don’t do bad things or say bad things. You’ll get the consequences.

Mt Bromo never kills locals, the tenggereses. Raden Kusuma sacrifice is dedicated for the sake of tenggereses as long as they live in harmony. During Kasodo ritual, people came to the crater and throw offerings for a request of giving them a fortune in their future life. People told me, why worry about Mt Bromo as the mountain is our destination when we die. Tenggereses love Mt Bromo, and the people feel that the mountain loves them as well. A very risky feeling, for sure, loving an active volcano.

On the way back home from Cemoro Lawang - the allowed nearest point to the crater - I saw Mr. Tomo’s car going up to his village after watching a volley ball game in Sukapura, a sub-district town downhill. Mr. Tomo is a dukun – hindu-tengger religious leader – from Ngadisari village, the closest village to the crater. When a vice governor of East Java Province and other important people from various institutions were having a meeting at a hotel in Cemoro Lawang, discussing actions taken for the natural disaster, the dukun who is able to communicate with the ancestors live in the mountain, having fun spending his time for a volley ball game.

However, on 9^th November 2010, the village chiefs of Ngadisari, Jetak and Wonotoro , with Mr. Tomo, had held a ritual at the crater and threw some offerings into it, requesting the crater for not erupting. Those important people for tenggereses have spoken to the mountain. So, that’s it. Nothing to worry about. I and several others made a joke while having a cup of coffee at Asih’s coffee shop. If people have to become refugees, perhaps the chief of village would be the one as he is the most unpopular person recently due to his many controversial policies, including local tax for cell phone. While the rest, living in harmony with the active volcano.

Yadnya Kasada

It was almost 4 o’clock in the morning, August 26, 2010, the new dukun coronation should be started soon. Mbah Mujo, the dukun coordinator – the one that I was sticking on - read the story of Kasodo, where a couple – Rara Anteng and Joko Seger - promised the God of Brahma to sacrifice one of their 25 children as their thankfulness to the God for giving them plenty of children. However, their love to the children made them to be hesitated to give up one of them. They hide the children in Pananjakan mountain, hoping the God of Brahma would never find them. But then, whilst the children were playing, an arrow of flame came out from the mouth of Bromo. It took Raden Kusuma, the youngest child into the crater. Everyone cried and sad for the lost, but suddenly Raden Kusuma’s voice was heard. He said, all of his brothers and sisters should not worry about him as he was happy now. He didn’t mind to sacrifice himself for his family and hoping after his leaving everyone kept “rukun” or never fight and close to each other. As a remembrance of his sacrifice, he wanted people to throw their harvesting into the crater held on the 14^th of kasada month, which is now famous as Yadnya Kasada ritual.

After an assemble mantra spelled by all the dukuns or puja astuti to bless the ‘ongkek’ put in front of each of them, the coronation ceremony was started. Indonesian minister of tourism came as a witness. 3 new dukuns were coroneted that night after being tested to what extent they fluently spelled the mantra. All the dukuns gave their agreements – by saying “agree” when being asked - that the new dukuns were good enough to be coroneted. ‘Ongkek’ is crops that put together and designed in a special form that make people easily carry them on the shoulders. Not only crops, sometime they also put some money and snacks. ’Ongkek’ is the symbol of the harvest that will be thrown into the crater to fulfil Kusuma request for remembering him. Each ongkek represented one village. There was also two other big ‘ongkek’ – in a form of mountain and a horse - represented tengger area as a whole.

Normally people recognize ‘dukun’ as a medicine man who has a magical power to cure an illness. But ‘dukun’ in tengger means a man who gives his service as a mediator between people and God and their ancestors. People in tengger believe that dukun is the only person that can deliver their pray to God or Sang Hyang Widhi. Dukun, with his mantra and smoke of ‘menyan’, leads every single ritual held in a household. One person will get through several rituals within their circle of life, started when they were in mother’s womb, the first day s/he was born and at 35 days old, circumcise for boys , ‘tugel kuncung’ or cutting the hair for girls, being married, die and then ‘moksa’ or united with God. There are also other special conditions that make children require a ritual, such as the only child, having 2 children boy and girl and any others. People also need rituals when they erect a house, start farming, harvesting or even buying a new motorcycle. A dukun is a much respected person in tengger society. He is people’s advisors. When the dukun agrees to something, people will follow.

After the new dukuns’ coronation ceremony, all were praying in front of a ‘pura’ or hindu’s temple which is also facing the mount of Bromo. I missed something that night. I was told that a head of a bull plus its legs, was put as part of the offering during the late evening. Bull represents strength. Tenggerese believe that the bull is strong enough to carry all of the offerings on his back until the sun. Only until the sun. The next step will be preceded by white duck and ‘brumbun’ chicken. Why duck ? Tenggerese believe that the duck has a special power to penetrate another dimension of life belongs to the Gods since duck can live in three different environments: land, water and sky. ‘Brumbun’ chicken is a chicken with the mix of 4 colour of feather: white for the God of Iswara, yellow for the God of Mahadewa, black for the God of Wisnu, red for the God of Brahma, and ‘brumbun’ the mix one for the big boss, the God of Syiwa or Sang Hyang Widhi. The chicken will then take the offerings to all the Gods and lastly to Sang Hyang Widhi. After the pray, the ‘ongkek’ were taken by all men and followed by gamelan or ‘traditional music’ to be thrown into the crater of bromo. The bull, the duck and the chicken will be thrown as well. Tenggerese call the crater of bromo as ‘pelabuhan’ or harbour, the last destination of the offering. So that throwing off an offering is called ‘melabuh’. Due to the crowdedness, I and Mujo’s family decided to return back home and will do the ritual of throwing crops at 9 o’clock this morning.

With a pick up car, madam mujo and other relatives went to bromo mountain. They brought with them a bunch of bananas, roast chicken, rice and vegetables. We stopped first at the gate to enter the national park in Cemoro Lawang. It was a place where the number tenth child of Jaka Seger and Roro Anteng – Tunggul Wulung - is staying. Stopping there means knocking the door and asking permission as we will enter the area of bromo mountain. All the ladies put a tamping or a small portion of food in bananas leafs and some small money. Tamping is a gift for ‘buta yadnya’ or bad spirit so that they would not bother everybody. Then we went to ‘watu wungkuk’ in the sea of sand of bromo, where Kaki Dukun, the number twelve of Jaka Seger and Roro Anteng children is staying. Tengger people believe that everything they ask to the ‘watu wungkuk’ will be fulfilled soon. Two dukuns from Sapikerep village gave their services to bless all the offering to ‘watu wungkuk’. Madam mujo left some bananas and put a tamping in ‘watu wungkuk’. The dukuns also blessed the food that people carried with that will be eaten soon they left the site. Everyone enjoyed the food – the blessed food - except me as I was fasting at that time.

From ‘watu wungkuk’ we went to Watu Balang. It looked like a monument. Our pick up circled the monument 3 times, before the ladies put the tamping, threw some flowers and small money onto the monument. I was told that 3 is a sacred number. 3 represents 3 Gods : Brahma, Wisnu and Syiwa. All are done 3 times, such as throwing the wholly water 3 times to each prayer, collecting water from 3 springs of wholly water, 3 different colour of ‘sajen’ or offering, etc. Before leaving, we circled once more to say goodbye. Watu Balang is a place to say thank you for the good fortune God had given people in the previous year. It is where Raden Bagus Waris, the child number eleventh of Joko Seger and Roro Anteng is staying.

Then the car parked somewhere to let us climb the mountain bromo. From the sea of sand, we went uphill to the crater of bromo. Nicely I took madam Mujo’s small bag and carried it with me. Though we walked slowly but going uphill absorbed my energy, especially I was fasting and we walked under the heat of sun. I said “I’m tired” and I did lose my breath. Madam Mujo said “ don’t say it, but say may God bless us”. Tenggereses believe that if we say “I’m tired”, I would feel so tired and would never reach the crater. If we say “I’m lost”, I would be lost and ended up somewhere far away from the crater. So I shut my mouth and kept walking. Madam Mujo’s niece took the small bag that I carried, and nicely pushed me from behind to make me move forward. What a weak Retno !

After about 1 km nonstop walking uphill, at last we arrived at the bottom of the stairs to the crater. It was called Bajangan, the place where Kaki Perniti, number 14th of Roro Anteng and Joko Seger children is staying. People put their tampings plus some amount of small money there. A dukun was also sitting there to bless the offering. Kaki Perniti has a duty to ‘niti’ or make sure that people are having the offerings for the crater of bromo as requested. For example, if there are some materials requested are not included as part of the ‘ongkek’, something would happen, such as somebody will become ‘trance’.

From Bajang, there would be another 250 steps of stairs to go. I heard that my knee gave me a protest. We’ve been walking uphill nonstop from the sea sand. But the 62 years old madam Mujo had no interest to take a break. Oh no ! So I hold her niece’s shirt in front of me, hoping that her body would pull me up to climb the stairs. Along the way the women always had something to say to the people who walked down stairs. At last, we did it. We arrived at the crater with our nonstop walk. For the first time in my life since 1988, I climbed the stairs to bromo crater with a nonstop walking. What a big achievement !

The two women put their tampings on the crater’s concrete fences and threw some small money into the crater whilst whispering their requests to the God of Brama and – the owner of the crater – and Raden Kusuma for giving them a fortune and a good life after this, and if their requests are fulfilled, they will return back to the crater again next year. They asked me to do the same thing. Requesting a fortune and a handsome future husband and return back to the crater when all are fulfilled. What ? Return back to the crater ? No No No. I’m not going to do it. It is so far away from where I live.

However, it was so tempting to request something that I don’t have at the moment, a fortune and a good looking partner of life. But if I become a wealthy person, would my richness lead me to my ultimate destination of life, heaven ? I don’t think so. If I have a handsome partner, would he support my feeling, my mind and my purpose of life to make this world as a better place to live? And would he accompany me not only in this life on earth but also in the life after death? I don’t think so. For me, a real life is not a life on this earth, but an eternal life after my soul and my flesh have separated, and I return back to my creator, God. I will leave everything else behind and take nothing but my good deed. God has created 7 level of heavens exclusively only for human. I don’t mind to enter the lowest level as long as I will live in heaven. My money means nothing there. And I might have a partner much nicer than the one that I would have on earth. You never know. So I threw my two thousand rupiah and said nothing. I have nothing to ask. All I want just a simple and a happy life. No more. No less.

In the crater there were people standing on the crater’s cliff to catch things thrown by people. They built tents functioned as nets to hold the fallen offerings especially money. They even hold a butterfly trap to reach the flying offering. They are marginal farmers from the surroundings. Some of them are teggereses from Argosari village. They are poor and landless. All the crops and money offered by people are a good fortune for them. Last year a friend of mine bought a goat from them for fifty thousand rupiah. A very cheap one but a big money for them. And that afternoon, I saw a woman bought a chicken for fifteen thousand rupiah, and hope the chicken will bring luck to her, since all of the offerings thrown by people have been blessed by the dukun. Then we left the crater, returned back to the sea of sand where the car was waiting for us.

On the way back down the stairs, I saw people from various ages climbing the stairs. Children, teen agers, adults and old people are climbing. And I saw women with hijab or moslem women as well. Perhaps they are moslem, perhaps not, as tenggerese wear hijab too to avoid the sun heat while farming. However, it is not only hindu’s people do the rituals, moslem also. Is it real, that the God of Brama will fulfil people’s requests? I spoke to several people a day before. They were both moslems and hindus. They said that things they requested were really fulfilled. If not, there is no reason for them to return back to the crater again every year. A moslem couple told me that they were able to held big wedding parties for their children as they became a wealthy family. And this year, they want to buy a sheep, a new motorcycle and redesign their house.
All want to have a good fortune and a better life, whatever your religion is. When you believe a thing, do it, and things would happen. That is what everyone does in the ritual.

To complete the ritual that day, all women in our pick up went to the tents or stalls that sold various goods, from food, snacks and fruits. For a small shopping. It was part of the ritual as well. I was told that beside the real stalls there are also unseen stalls where the spirits are also shopping. Ups ! The purchase at stalls is also an indicator of something. If all the goods at stalls are sold out, it is good for the seller but bad for the villages. Sold out means a difficult life in the coming year. Mbah Mujo said this year most of the stalls are not sold out, so it means that things would be OK in the coming year. After things were completed so we off home to Ngadas village, with a hope that everyone’s request – except me - will be fulfilled in the coming year, then they will do another Kasodo ritual.