/ Ê 1/1,Ê ,/ Ê /Ê Ê- 1, Ê Ê " - 1,Ê ,/ *1, /ÌÀÌiÀ]ÊÛiÃÌ}>`ÀÊÞÊiÝ«iÀÌÊVÕÌÕÀ>° 6 */," "Ê1 ÊUÊ -9"- “Intangible cultural heritage” means “the 2003 Convention in July 2007 and became a practices, representations, expressions, State Party to the Convention in January Intangible Cultural knowledge, skills – as well as the instru- 2008. Heritage, or Living ments, objects, artefacts and cultural spac- Intangible Cultural Heritage, or Living Cultural Heritage, es associated therewith – that communi- Cultural Heritage, has existed in Indonesia has existed in ties, groups and, in some cases, individuals since ancient times, when Indonesia con- Indonesia recognize as part of their cultural heri- sisted of many kingdoms and empires since ancient tage” 1. Management refers to governance, which interacted with the cultural heritage times and also to administration of business con- of other countries. Situated as it is on the cerns or public undertakings 2. According intersection between two oceans, the In- to the UNESCO 2003 Convention , “Safe- dian and Pacific Oceans, and two conti- guarding means measures aimed at ensur- nents, Asia and Oceania, Indonesia partic- ing the viability of the intangible cultural ularly received cultural influences from heritage, including the identification, doc- the sea trade which went on among Indo- umentation, research, preservation, pro- nesia, India, China, and the Middle East for tection, promotion, enhancement, trans- at least the past two millennia 4. The com- mission, particularly through formal and ing of Islam to Indonesia five centuries ago non-formal education, as well as the revi- brought with it significant cultural influ- talization of the various aspects of such ences. Three hundred years of colonial oc- heritage”3. cupation brought with it further cultural Safeguarding of intangible cultural heri- influences, particularly from Europe. All of tage ( ICH ) or living heritage has been going these cultural influences in their original on since time immemorial all over the forms did not simply penetrate or replace world, including in Indonesia, even before the culture of Indonesia, but were rather the term “intangible cultural heritage” was adapted or underwent acculturation, ac- coined and the 2003 UNESCO Convention on cording to the social and cultural environ- the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural ment and creativity of Indonesia. Anthro- Heritage was adopted by the 32 nd Session of pologists have referred to this phenomenon the General Conference of States Members as Javanigseringsprocess 5 or Javanization. of UNESCO on 17 October 2003. I would like After Indonesia declared its independence to describe in brief some of the traditional on 17 August 1945, management and safe- methodologies of management and safe- guarding of the vast diversity cultural heri- guarding ICH in Indonesia prior to the rati- tage existing in the 13,000 islands of the fication of the 2003 Convention , some of Indonesian archipelago and among the which are still applicable and still being more than 500 ethnic communities which practiced until the present day, and then make up the Indonesian nation became the relate some of the methodologies applied in responsibility of the government and peo- general and specifically related to certain ple of the Republic of Indonesia, as de- elements of ICH after Indonesia ratified the clared in the 1945 Constitution as amend- -V ÊV `ÀiÊÊ 1 4 UNESCO 2003 Convention on the Safeguarding ASEAN and Directorate for History and Ar- ÌÀ>`Ì>ÊVÃÌÕiÃÊ of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, Article 2, Para- cheology, Underwater Cultural Heritage, Jakarta: vÀÊ>ÊÎ{Ê*ÀÛViÃÊ graph 1. 2007. vÊ`iÃ>Ê «>ÞÊ>}Õ}Ê>ÌÊ 2 Concise Oxford Dictionary. 5 Pradipta, Dr. Budya, The Arjuna of Java and of `i«i`iViÊ >ÞÊ 3 UNESCO 2003 Convention, ibid, Article 2, Para- India, Ph.D Thesis, Delhi University, 2000, unpu- iiLÀ>ÌÃÊÊ£Ç Ì Ê graph 3. blished. Õ}ÕÃÌÊÊ>>ÀÌ>° INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE 7 ed 6. Culture has mostly come under the ing efforts that even today we can enjoy Another portfolio of the Ministry of Education and many kinds of Indonesian cultural heritage traditional method Culture, apart from a decade from 2000 till which date back many centuries. Some ex- of transmission 2011 when Culture was part of the portfolio amples include wayang puppetry, the docu- and safeguarding of the (then) Ministry of Culture and Tour- mentation of which dates back at least to the of ICH is through ism. Provincial and Local/District Educa- 12 th Century 9. Indonesian kris, documented associations tion and Culture Services have been re- as far back as the 5 th or 6 th Centuries 10 , and of enthusiasts sponsible for culture in their respective Saman, which goes back as far at the 13 th of particular areas. Century. elements During the period of kingdoms and em- Another traditional method of transmis- of ICH pires, certain kinds of cultural heritage de- sion and safeguarding of ICH is through as- veloped and were managed within the royal sociations of enthusiasts of particular ele- palaces, whereas other kinds developed and ments of ICH . In Java, such associations are were managed among the common people. called paguyuban. They were and are most- Even in those times, there were efforts to ly not legal bodies, but just informal asso- document such heritage, and to safeguard it ciations of like-minded people. The culture by ensuring its regular performance and of Indonesian Kris, for example, was mostly transmission to future generations. Such transmitted through such associations, both transmission was mostly carried out in a in the past and in the present. ICHCAP 11 has non-formal and informal way through tradi- referred to such organizations as “ ICH Safe- tional schools known as sanggar where mas- guarding Associations”. ters would transmit their particular kind of Regarding identification, documentation ICH to students, in a family setting. In fact and research on ICH , which are now often the students became like the master’s fami- referred to as “inventory” of ICH , this had also ly members. There were mostly no formal been going on since ancient times in Indone- curricula, and students assimilated the ICH sia. Despite the ravages of time, many an- mostly by imitating, doing and living rather cient palm leaf texts or “rontal” /“ lontar ” still than by theoretical learning. Such tradition- exist. Some of the biggest collections of these al centres of ICH transmission still exist to- ancient texts are found in the National Li- day. The author had the opportunity to brary of Indonesia in Jakarta, Gedung Kirtya study wayang puppetry under a master in in Singaraja, Bali, and in Leiden University in such a traditional school for 8 years 7. Such Netherlands. Regretfully, many of these in- schools remain the major method of trans- valuable ancient texts have been stolen or mitting and safeguarding Indonesian way- purchased illegally and taken away to other ang puppetry 8. It is due to these safeguard- countries 12 . One similar situation which had 6 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia 9 Arjuna Wiwaha, quoted in Pradipta, Dr. Bud- as Amended (2002), Article 32, Paragraphs (1) ya, ibid . and (2). 10 Haryonoguritno, Haryono, Keris Java: Anta- 7 Sanggar Redi Waluyo, directed by the late Ki ra Misik dan Nalar, JakartaL 2006. Kamsu Redi Wiguno, now by Sri Rahayu Setyowati. 11 Intangible Cultural Heritage Centre for Asia 8 Inscribed as a Masterpiece of the Oral and and the Pacific, a UNESCO Category 2 Centre in Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by Republic of Korea. UNESCO in 2003, and on the Representative List of 12 Dr. Muchlis Paeni reports that many texts the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in from South Sulawesi Province which he had pre- 2008. viously catalogued in private collections have 8 */," "Ê1 ÊUÊ -9"- Intangible Cultural Heritage Centre for Asia and the Pacific ( ICHCAP ) has referred to such organizations as “ICH Safeguarding Associations”. /À>`Ì>Ê-V ÊvÊ ÀÃÊ À>vÌÃ>à «Ê ­->}}>ÀÊ`iÃ>®° taken place in the Latin American context is Indonesian ICH are as follows. We can find the large number of Peruvian Inca artefacts references to Indonesian wayang puppetry and texts from the Machu Picchu heritage in the ancient text “ Arjuna Wiwaha ” from site taken and kept in Yale University in USA . the 12 th Century 14 . There are many refer- Fortunately today more enlightened diplo- ences and pictures of Indonesain kris 15 in macy and international instruments are ancient texts with pictures, and also carved making possible the return of such texts and in reliefs on ancient temples 16 , references artefacts to their countries of origin 13 . Some examples of ancient inventory of 14 Pradipta, Dr. Budya, The Arjuna of Java and of India , Ph.D Thesis, Delhi University, 2000, un- now disappeared, reportedly purchased by treasu- published. re hunters from a neighbouring country. 15 Kris is an original element of Indonesian 13 UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally cultural heritage in the form of a dagger of assy- Exported Cultural Objects (Rome, 1995) is the inter- metric and detailed form, containing the cultural national treaty on the subject of cultural property values of tradition, social function, art, philoso- protection. It attempts to fill gaps of the 1970 phy and mystique. For more than 100 years is no UNESCO Convention ( UNESCO Convention on the longer used as a functional weapon. Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Im- 16 Haryono Guritno, Ir. Haryono, Keris Jawa, port, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultu- antara Nalar dan Mistik , Jakarta: Indonesia Ke- ral Property) which lies at its core. bangaanku, 2005. INTANGIBLE CULTURAL HERITAGE 9 to Indonesian batik date from as early as the confines of royal palaces, but also out- the 15 th Century. References to Indonesian side among the general public.