PORTOFOLIO AGUNG PARAMESWARA

WWW.AGUNGPARAMESWARA.COM RESUME

Biodata Name : A A Gde Agung Parameswara Place Of Birth : Bali, July, 30 1990 Sex : Male Marital Status : Single Nationality : Occupation : Freelance Photographer Address : Jalan Drupadi XVI No: 19, Denpasar, Bali, 80235 Email : [email protected] Website : http://www.agungparameswara.com

Education - Bachelor of Economy, Udayana University Faculty of Economy 2011

Workshop - Participant of Travel and Documentary Photo Workshop Blips Festival, April 2010. - Fellowship Jurnalism and Documentary Workshop The Republic Malaysia in Bali, September 2010. - Fellowship Photography Class by Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization (SEAMEO), Regional Centre for Archaeology and Fine Arts, Februari 2013.

Awards - Presiden of Republic Indonesia Award, 5th Place Student Category,2011 - Honorable Mention Binus International Photography Award Student Category, 2011 - 1st Winner Green Living Kompas, 2011 - Nomantion of Indonesia Photojournalism Award, General News Category 2011 - Nomantion of Indonesia Photojournalism Award, Art and Entertaiment Category 2011 - 3rd Winner BII Journalist Photo Competition, 2012 - 1 Winner Indonesian Photojournalism Award, Art and Entertaiment Category 2012 - 1 Winner Photo Story Mass Market National Geographic Indonesia 2013 - Human Photography Documentary Award in China 2013 - Jury Special Award Human Photography Documentary Award in China 2013 - 1 Place Picture of the Month Getty Images Asia Pacific Photographer on March 2014 - 1 Place Picture of the Month Getty Images Asia Pacific Photographer on August 2014 - 1 Winner Astra Indonesia Photojournalist Catagory 2014 - 3 Winner Picture of the Year Getty Images APAC

Client - Getty Images News - Bali and Beyond Magazine - Barcroft Media - The Jakarta Post - Bali Buzz by The Jakarta Post

Publication - The Jakarta Post - National Geographic Traveler Indonesia - Bali Buzz - Tempo Magazine - Inflight Magazine - JalanJalan Magazine - The Wall Street Journal - Reuters - AP - AFP - TIME - The Daily Mail UK - The Guardian - Bali and Beyond - The New York Time - Wall Street Journal

STORIES The Mentawai Tribe

The Mentawai is a tribe of people who living in the rainforest of Siberut Island, the largest and north- ernmost of the Mentawai Islands and the most important home for the Mentawai people, lying 150 kilome- tres west of Sumatra in the Indian Ocean, a part of Indonesia. Their religion, which is known as the ‘Arat Sabulungan’, is the belief in the power of leaves and is considered to represent the forces of kindness (Ketcat Simaeru) and the forces of evil (ketcat sikatai). they belief that areas such as forests, rivers, mountains, hills, forests, oceans, and swamps have the spirit guards called “Lakokaina”. The traditional belief which they hold until today that became social control in the com- munity and regulate forest utilization wisely in thousands of years. The Sikerei plays a vital role in the Mentawai tribe. They are the leader of the traditional rituals of the Mentawi people. They have an ability to heal sickness and also communicate with the ancestor and the spirit of the nature around them. According to a Sikerei from Butui Village, Aman LauLau (70), being a Sikerei isn’t a coercion but a heart allure. To become a Sikerei is a huge honour within the tribe and requires dedication to learning the ways of the tribe and understanding how to communicate with the spirits of the forest through Sikeri poems and dance rituals. 28 years old Aman LauLau’s son, Aman Gotdai decided to became a Sikerei: “i want to follow the path of my father and my brother Aman Lepon”, said Aman Gotdai. Nowadays, with the influenc- es of modern culture, it is becoming harder for the Mentawi people to find those who are willing to become Sikerei.

The Hightlander

The Dani is a tribe of Papua which is live mostly in the area of the Baliem Valley, located in the cen- tral highlands. The Dani tribe live a traditional existence, situated 1600 metres above sea level in the heart of the Cyclops Mountains in Papua New Guinea, with an estimated population of 250,000 in that region. The valley has one of the highest densities of population in the Papua Province with only has one town, named Wamena. The Dani’s settlements are usually located on the river banks and hill slopes of the Valley and are structures named Honai, Eweai and Leseai. Leseai is a square shaped unit used for family gatherings, cook- ing and eating. Honai and Eweai are round shaped sleeping quarters without ventilation to trap heat, as it gets very cold at night. The tribe are mostly farmers and hunters who often sing songs while hunting or working in the fields, usually accompanied by a musical instrument known as Pikon.

Marapu

Marapu is an animistic beliefs in which Sumbanese people worship the ancestors and spirits and be- come Sumba’s cultural identity. Marapu becomes the basis of people’s guidance or social values that rule the lives of Sumba people and turn into their life philosophy. Marapu reflects cultural expres- sion of Sumba ranging from traditional ceremonies, procedures of cultural buildings design, to all aspects of life and activi- ties of Sumbanese people. Sumba Island is an island within the province of , Indonesia. This area is 10.710 km2. Sumbanese are racially a mixture of Mon- goloid and Melanesoid. Sumba island is known as “Sandal- wood Island” and used to have the biggest sandalwood productions in the Indonesian ar- chipelago. It is one of the Indonesian islands, where the majority of its population still follow the ways of life of their ancestors. Upon stepping on this island, it seems like we see through a long windows that us away to the past. Marapu belief prioritizes elements of chastity, purity of soul, peace, harmony, love, harmonious relationship, conformity, and balance, between God and man, man and nature. It’s still alive and followed by its people until today. They believe that the spirits of their ancestors after the death will not go forever, but simply move from the living world to the afterlife, the concept of worshipping the ancestral spirits and the ancestors is constituted with high tribute to the ancestral spirits. Even though big religions such as Christianity are embraced by almost 65% of Sumba population, Sumbanese people keep running Marapu rituals. Believing that their ancestors’ spirit will always protect them. The most spectacular moment is the pre-harvest fertility ritual, the Pasola, a traditional fight using spears featuring hundreds of horsemen. Serious injuries are common in Pasola, along with occasional deaths. In fact, blood on the ground is necessary for a successful Pasola.The funeral rituals of Sumba continue to this day. Huge blocks of stone are cut and dragged far to the mortuary ground to construct mausoleums for the rich and the noble. An average sized stone can weigh in the range of six tons and larger stones weigh more than twenty. Until now, particularly at the funerals of noble- men, literally hundreds of water buffalo, horses, pigs and dogs were slaughtered to accompany the soul to the afterlife. This story is about the Marapu ritual and their respect to the ancestors in the multicultural country of Indonesia. About the sincerity of worshipping and believing. Documenting this story allowed me to learn the power of ritual and to help people to feel and remember. Tradition will remain in ev- ery era where people have culture and continue to live. Culture of each society is different. It is that difference which leads every society to have its own cultural identity.

This story have been featured on The Washington Post and SEA Globe Magazine

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