Mementoes

In Indonesian there are several words for “souvenir.” One is oleh-oleh: gifts brought back from a trip, often snacks particular to the region visited Newsletter (tempé crisps from Malang, for instance, or fermented cassava from Lontar Purwakarta). Another is cinderamata: keepsake items given away at weddings and even funerals which are frequently of questionable taste and use—a Email: [email protected] February 2020 miniature wooden plaque, for instance, engraved with the words “Bagus & Feby Forever”—but, sometimes, at exclusive wedding receptions of only Greetings from the Ruminations by John McGlynn: 3,000 close friends for children of the super rich, a Montblanc pen (marred Executive Director by the words “Bagus & Feby Forever”). A third is tanda-mata, a memento And Death Grows More Intimate that might be material or immaterial in form. Doea Tanda Mata is a 1985 film by Teguh Karya which I subtitled as Mementoes. First-time visitors to Indonesia, who take Growing up in a close-knit community where kinship lines often the trouble to study Indonesian at language overlapped; attending a Catholic primary school where Mass was a daily Older friends of Teguh Karya, especially members of Sanggar Teater centers in Yogyakarta and elsewhere, often requirement; and serving as an altar boy following my First Communion in Populer H.I. who performed in plays at Hotel Indonesia during the period find themselves befuddled when they get the 1959, makes it likely that I attended almost every funeral mass that was held 1961–1972 when Teguh worked as the hotel’s artistic director, called him chance to test their newly-acquired language at St. Anthony de Padua Church in Germantown, Wisconsin, between “Steve.” Born Liem Tjoan Hok in 1937 and given the Christian name skills. To their dismay, what they have 1957, the year I entered grade school, and 1966, when I graduated and went “Stefanus” at his baptism, it was in the 1960s when, at the government’s learned in language classes, that being to on to a public high school where God appeared only in the Pledge of urging, numerous Indonesian families of Chinese descent adopted more speak an Indonesian that is both baik dan Allegiance at roll time. “Death” was as familiar to me as “Life,” the latter of “indigenous sounding” names. That is when Teguh changed his baptismal benar (proper and correct), does not always which was symbolized by christenings, weddings, and other celebratory name from Stefanus to Steve and began to call himself “Steve Liem.” prepare them for bahasa gaul— coming-of-age rituals. Even so, in 1957, when I was five, “death” was an Several years later, however, after he switched from stage to screen director conversational Indonesian or slang, whose abstraction, whose real meaning I could not comprehend until he came to and because of further discriminatory pressure, he adopted the name by use is exceedingly pervasive, not just among call close to home and took with him, upon departure, my first cousin, which he is known today. the country’s youth who treat language like a Little Joe. baker treats dough, something to be played Just as I was called “Little John” because my father’s name was also with and reshaped, but by almost native John, “Little Joe” was given that moniker so as not to be confused with our speakers in familiar and informal uncle by the same name. Joe was born in December 1951. My sister, Jane, situations. (This does not apply, of course, was born earlier that year, in February. Joe’s brother, Jerry, was born in at official occasions or in report- writing.) August 1952, thus making them “Irish twins,” siblings born less than twelve Even older Indonesians occasionally find months apart (a term I did not know to be derogatory until later in life). themselves at a loss when trying to follow conversations among younger people. As with other languages, in Indonesian, too, slang and colloquialisms change and evolve from one generation to another—as I myself am still finding out when young people refer to their mothers as nyokap (instead of “ibu”) and their fathers as bokap (instead of “bapak”). Growing up as I did in the sixties and seventies, the slang that I spoke is not only incompatible with the slang being used today; it seems that many of the words that I once used are now extinct. (That said, two words that have withstood the test of time are cewe for “girl” and and cowo for “boy” as well as the oft- heard ge-er, which is short for gede rasa (self- “Little Joe” on the right with his older brother, Tad, and Sister Kathleen (?) on the day of flattery). their First Communion in 1957. Continued on page 2

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Speaking of abbreviations, numerous As I was born in October 1952, the four of us—Jane, Joe, Jerry, and I— Indonesian slang words are just that: short were of similar age and at family picnics and gatherings we often played forms of phrases such as ember (from together with Jane, in a prim little apron, acting the role of beleaguered “memang benar”, or “actually true”). Thus, mommy to three sons. unless one understands the context in Jane had a hard time controlling Jerry and me but not so, Little Joe, which such terms are being used, it will be who was not just obedient but almost docile. As he was older than Jerry difficult to even guess their meaning. and I, I could not understand why this was so. None of us knew, maybe Further exacerbating the use of slang today not even Little Joe, that he had leukemia. is social-media and the internet which I remember becoming jealous of Little Joe in May of 1957 when he, almost demand a down-sizing in the length for reasons as yet unexplained, was honored to receive First Communion at of messages—hence the creation of more the same time as my sister, Mary, and his brother, Tad, who were born in and more abbreviations. 1949. Comprehension of the situation continued to escape me until Some of the words that I am still October of that year when, one night midweek, after milking the cows, my trying to get used to using in current parents bundled their children into their car and took us to Edgewood, the everyday conversation include lebay (lame home of Uncle Tom and Aunt Dimp. Visiting was for Sundays, not during excuse), baper (oversensitive) the week. and mager (from “malas gerak” or lethargic). The living room at Edgewood was dark, illuminated only by a dim All this said, this should not discourage standing lamp and candles on the bureau. On the worn sofa were Tom and Indonesian language students because, in Dimp, shoulders hunched and heads bowed, while inside what I first addition to the National Language Center’s thought to be a large and fancy wooden box was Little Joe, hands crossed huge Indonesian language dictionary they on his chest with a rosary in his fingers and dressed in the same crisp shirt also have available to them the Kamus and trousers I had coveted at his First Communion five months previously. Bahasa Gaul, a dictionary of Indonesian As Mother nudged me forward and told me to say goodbye to Joe, slang which is updated annually. awareness finally dawned that we would never play together again and the Even communities and groupings following day, when that fancy box in which Little Joe was sleeping, was have their lowered into the ground at Saint Bridget’s Cemetery and Aunt Dimp own collapsed in Uncle Tom’s arms, death became more intimate for me. ‘language’ like the One of the two common denominators that link every living organism is ‘gayspeak’ the inescapable eventuality of death. The other is genesis. Not surprising, found therefore, that death is a favorite motif in every creative field. Literature is in Not a no exception to this rule and Western poets from Dante Aleghieri to Virgin by Robert Frost and beyond have, through the ages, explored this mystery. Nuril Basri, The same is true in Indonesia where a leading commentator on death is the a book poet, Subagio Sastrowardoyo (1924–1995). published I first got to know “Pak Bagio” in 1986 when Goenawan Mohamad and and invited him to join us in establishing a translated by foundation devoted to literary translation. As he was a well regarded author Lontar. and respected translator, I was very pleased when he agreed to become a And since this is a fund-raising co-founders in this venture. Over the years, I gained innumerable insights season, we hope you will buy our books into life from these august men but it was Pak Bagio whose poetry became and donate our cause to promote a crucial assist for me in future encounters with death. . In the following poems, lines from which I transcribe in prose-form, Pak Bagio shows us different ways of dealing with death. In “Battlefield

Prayer (Doa di Medan Laga),” for instance, he indicates the need for Yuli Ismartono strength and, if necessary, reliance on God: “Grant unto me patience as [email protected] immense as the universe to overcome this torture and to forget this

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suffering.” In “Eulogy (Pidato di Kubur Orang),” he speaks of acquiescence: “When the thugs burnt his house, and shot him in the head, he did nothing, expressed no regret; he was too good for this world.” In “At the Foot of the Bed (Di Ujung Ranjang), he offers a similar view but also but implies that death is not something that should be feared: “Asleep, there is no guarantee, that you will wake again. Sleep is preparation for a deeper sleep. At the foot of the bed, an angel watches, and coos a lullaby.” Finally, in “And Death Grows More Intimate (Dan Kematian Makin Akrab),” he suggests that we view death as a “convivial friend,” one who Achdiat K. Mihardja will connect us with the loved ones we have lost. As the deceased speaker in the poem declares, “You see, there is no barrier between us. I am still Achdiat K. (Karta) Mihardja (Garut, West tied to the world by promises and memories, while death is only a veil, a Java, March 6, 1911–Canberra, , July 8, 2010) graduated from Algemeene concept whose threshold is easily crossed.” Middelbare School (AMS) in Surakarta, then entered the Faculty of Letters and Philosophy at the University of Indonesia (UI). He served as the head of the Culture Unit for Greater . He became a lecturer in the Faculty of Letters at the University of Indonesia (1959–

1961) and at Australian National University in Canberra (1961–retirement). He worked as an editor at Balai Pustaka and at several magazines, including Gelombang Zaman, Spektra, Pudjangga Baru (postwar), Konfrontasi and Indonesia and at the Bintang Timur daily newspaper. He also served as the chair of PEN Indonesia and the vice chair of the Organization of Indonesian Authors (Organisasi Pengarang Indonesia /OPI) and represented Indonesia in the International Sapardi Djoko Damono, JHM, and Subagio Sastrowardoyo outside the home of JHM in PEN Congress in Lausanne, Switzerland 1986 following a meeting to discuss establishment of the Lontar Foundation. (1951). He wrote two novels: Atheis (1949), which won the Annual Award from the I knew nothing of poetry in 1957, the year that Little Joe died, but now, 63 Indonesian government in 1969 and has been years later, a period during Death appeared time and again—And far too translated into often, it seems of late!—whenenver he does show his intimate face, I English as well as adapted into remind him, through Pak Bagio’s verse, of the friend that he is supposed to a film, and Debu be and tell him that when he finally comes for me to not delay but to take Cinta Bertebaran me directly to Little Joe, Pak Bagio, and all other relatives and who are (1973). His there, waiting for me. collections of short stories include John McGlynn Keretakan dan [email protected] Ketegangan (1956), which PS: This one is for Jamie James (24 June 1951 – 9 February 2020). received a National Award for Literature from the Consultative Council on the National Culture (BMKN), Kesan dan Kenangan (1960), Belitan Nasib (1975) and Pembunuh dan Anjing Hitam (1975).

3 Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet January Activities

The Lontar Foundation Board of Trustees and A creative writing workshop titled “Papua Panggil, ko tulis Supervisors held its first meeting of the year along with ko pu kisah” (Papua is calling you to write your story) was the Foundation’s managers and executives. held on February 28-29 in Papua’s provincial capital of From left to right: Jayapura and attended by 20 participants who were pre- Toeti Heraty, Kestity Pringgoharjono, Yuli Ismartono. selected for their short-story submissions. The event was Tuti Zairati, Hani Hasanah, John McGlynn, Arief T. opened by Yuli Ismartono of Yayasan Lontar and Surowidjojo, Eugene Galbraith, Douglas Ramage and Cenderawasih University officials as the co-organizers, Amir Abadi Jusuf. with the generous support of PT Freeport Indonesia.

Gallery: https://bit.ly/2Txcxg9

Wikilatih Workshop in Papua, on how to write articles in Yuli Ismartono, Lontar Executive Director at Indonesian Wikipedia language, held on February 26-27, Cenderawasih University in Jayapura on Feb 28, at Jayapura, the provincial capital of Papua. The event presenting copies of Lontar publications: the Modern was a collaboration between Lontar, Wikimedia Library of Indonesia series, the Anthologies of Drama, Indonesia and Cenderawasih University and supported Poetry and Short Stories and By the Way series, to the by PT Freeport Indonesia. University Rector Apollo Safanpo, witnessed by Riza Pratama, PT Freeport Indonesia’s VP of Corporate Communications.

Gallery: https://bit.ly/39lbiHM

4 Issue #: [Date] Dolor Sit Amet Upcoming Activities

You are invited to a show and sale of recent works by On April 4-5 the Bali Purnati Foundation, in association Robert Pearce at the Lontar Foundation, a percentage of with Ciputra Artrepreneur, will present “Under the proceeds from which will go to Lontar. In addition to Volcano,” a dance-theater performance inspired by the works by Robert Pearce, we will also be selling other art classical Malay poem, Syair Lampung Karam, which was work and assorted objects such as a Chinese scholar’s published by Lontar, in English and Malay, under the table, a Central Javanese chest, Batak priest canes, and title, Krakatau. an Asmat canoe! For additional information, go to https://bit.ly/3awaQXn Click the following link for a preview of Pearce’s Tickets may be purchased through LOKET.Com or work: https://youtu.be/Nv88KcTVaGw GOTIX.

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