The Javanese Culture ( Mind Your Language)

By: Feeza Ashruff

12 July 2009

Upon visiting a foreign country, getting to know bits and pieces of the language will always come in handy. Even though the country visited could have similar culture as our country of origin,it is still important to maintain local courtesy and the right intonations of the language. Coming to Yogyakarta opened my eyes to its different styles of language and how each style differs according to the age and social status of an individual.

The Javanese language is used by almost 2/3 of the people in Java and it is divided into 2 different dialects depending on the social and geographical position of the speaker. The social dialect simply distinguishes the commoner from the Kraton royal family. This difference is similar to the Malay spoken by the local Malaysians and the Malay spoken by the royal families in Malaysia. The Javanese spoken by the local in Yogyakarta and Surakarta both located in Central Java are considered to be the standard Javanese, also known as the “Madya” style of Javanese. The “Madya” style is considered the standard Javanese, as it is the middle ground between the “Kromo” style of Javanese which is used by the royal family and upper class and the “Ngoko” style of Javanese which is used by the lower class.

lower-class Javanese people use 'Ngoko' style Javanese

Middle-class Javanese people using 'Madya' Javanese

'Madya' Javanese has become the standard of the Javanese Language

Basically, the Javanese language is divided into two umbrella categories,Ngoko and Kromo and after sometime within the Ngoko style itself, there has been an evolution into Ngoko Kasar and Ngoko Halus which is a mixture of Ngoko and Kromo. Within Kromo itself it is then divided into 3 parts from the least refined to the most refined ones which is Ngoko, Madya and Kromo. The Ngoko style of conversing is usually used for any informal speech between peers, close relatives, among younger speakers and also by those of a higher ranking to the ones of a lower one. As for Madya it is an intermediate between Ngoko and Kromo where the speech is not too formal and informal for instance between strangers or seller and a customer. Finally, Kromo is used fully when conversing with the elderly and people of higher social status even for public speeches and announcements. The Kromo style is also used widely within the Kraton as it is the most refined dialect of the Javanese culture. Within a conversation in the Javanese language one way on how the styles can be distinguished is by its choice of words used in their conversations.For example, the word “to eat”, in Ngoko is “Mangan”, whilst for Madya it is known as “Nedha” and in the Kromo language it is known as “Dhahar”. All three words have the same meaning but it carries a different rank of politeness and should be used accordingly.

People of the Kraton converse in 'Kromo' style Javanese

The Javanese language is indeed a very complex language and thus is definitely not an easy one to learn. Due to its wide differences and wide range of applications that vary according to the social and geographical differences among its users.

Nonetheless, it is still crucial to have at least a basic knowledge of the language and its different styles and dialect, lest you inadvertently offend a local due to the wrong choice of words, or intonations.

A group of students trying to pratice several Indonesian and Javanese words they have learned during the trip

WRITER'S PROFILE: Feeza is currently a third year student (hopefully graduating in 2 days time) majoring in International Studies and minoring in Communication. She is an absolute crazy one. Laughing is her middle name and she is always in love with children. One of the most veteran travelers in the IN SEARCH series organized by Dr.Yeoh and Monash University Sunway Campus, Feeza is also a person with a very complex heart and mind. She hides her feelings a lot (seriously) but adores her family and friends to bits. =)

Diary Entry: Day 4

By: Dominique Staindl

12 July 2009

For those of you frequenting our blog, I have the pleasure of informing you that the header for In Search of Yogyakarta 2009 is from one of the places we visited today. Phew! What a day. A lot of the pathfinders here may remember today as the one with the walking. That, we did.

Admittedly, I started off the day in a pretty low mood. It has come to that point of the trip where you're tired physically and mentally but you haven't quite pushed through it yet (I suspect that will come tomorrow). After my exhilarating horse ride on the beach at sunset yesterday, I woke to aching muscles, ligaments and (I'm pretty sure) bones as well. My camera has decided to die mysteriously (helpful, since I'm in charge of photography) and my favourite yellow scarf which had been a popular accessory to many of yesterday's beach photos had gone missing. Yes, the day started out gloomy despite the hot sun. The one solace was that we were allowed to sleep in, and I didn’t even do that!

So, today was all about getting out of our comfort zones and learning about other people's daily ways-of-life. This involved a short walk to the house and studio of a young man Ariebowo who lives with his parents in the Kauman neighbourhood. Besides being architecturally unique with the houses in the neighbourhood being mostly old houses built several generations ago, the Kauman village is also unique in the sense that it is a very close knit community; extended families generally live in houses nearby each other.

Colorfully painted houses in Kauman

Walking along the Kauman neighbourhood, we saw painted shutters, stone houses, pet birds greeting us with their sing-song whistle as well as large, warm smiles from the community locals. When we entered Ariebowo’s father’s studio, we sat in the front room of the house which was used to greet guests while the the inner section of the house was reserved for family. Ariebowo then explained about his father, Lukman's, batik painting work and how it is very well received in Europe particularly Germany where he predominantly sells. I discover that this is where a few of us students will return on Wednesday to try our hand at batik painting with Lukman, the master himself. Ariebowo explained how his mother wakes up early every morning, sometimes at 1am, to prepare local kues which are bought by the vendors who collect them from Ariebowo’s mother and 6am before being resold on the street by vendors. We were lucky enough that Dr Yeoh ordered a box of the delicacies for each of us. Each box contained 3 kues, one of which I liken to a quiche, a vegetable filled doughnut and a soft flat bun. Yum, yum, yum. Especially delicious to those who hadn’t had their breakfast yet.

We learned about the importance of this community to its residents. It's a Muslim sector, lived in by many members of an extended family (Ariebowo's auntie's house faces his and his grandparents live nearby) and it is rare for the house to be sold if one of the extended family decide to live elsewhere for a while. They usually rent it out or allow other family members to live in it, eventually returning because it is ultimately where they want to spend the twilight of their years in due to the familiarity and slow paced environment.

Kauman residents who have just finished their afternoon prayers

As we walked around, some of us stopping-off to pray and some to buy fruit and chat with the locals, it was pretty obvious just how happy people there are. In those tiny streets there is a policy against motorbikes so the safety and tranquility is preserved, and there seemed to be a lot of thought and dedication put in to the lay-out and maintenance of residences.

We eventually made a move, saying thank-you and goodbye loaded with new boxes of kuihs we purchased for the next community we were visiting- the river based community of Kali Code ( pronounced as cho-day).

View of Kali Code from a bridge

We spent a long couple of hours winding along the esplanade - an elevated walkway between residencies and the water - and past the brightly coloured, leafy front doors of the river locals. Kids would whoosh past us, sure-footed and full of sprite, to poke their tongues and pose for photos. I even saw spray-painted chicks (the poultry kind) in green, purple and orange. Mothers with babies would encourage them to wave to us, and gangs of teens would smirk and mutter jokes for the rest to enjoy.

Believe it or not- Colorful chicks!

Down below in the river men fished with bamboo traps and fed their noisy brace of ducks. Sadly, the people living by the river also used it as a dumping ground for rubbish and a site for defecation; I was glad to be walking up stream. Standing on a bridge across the river, I realised that this was where Dr Yeoh took the blog header photo from. So this is where the blog header-photo is from. As you could see from the photos on the blog, the walk was very scenic.

Kali Code

Once we reach our destination (an hour late) we are greeted by the community leader, Darsam, in the community hall. My first impressions were that the layout of the area was similar to that of European places based on steep embankments - full of steps and a mish-mash of levels for houses and walkways. Darsam explained his role as leader of the community in bringing the currently improved way of life to the peoples. He said it was an easy job to look after the community because the residents are dedicated to following his advice.

Walking around the whole day really helped me gain insight into Yogya and its people. I had been invited in to private spaces made by and lived in by people whose lives are so different from my own. I had been diverted from my sour attitude and engrossed in a lot that I saw. Now I'm lazing in the cyber cafe, absolutely wrecked but happy to have an appetite because of the exercise. I don't have a functioning camera, but there's a chance I'll get my scarf back and my aching body is healing. Thank you to the people who made today special and who made a grumpy foreigner smile again.

*View more pictures of the day from our photo album


WRITER'S PROFILE: Dominique or Dom as we all call her, has a mixture of English, Irish and Austro-Hungarian heritage. The Virgo who is pursuing a double major in French and Photography and minoring in Communication hails from Melbourne, Australia. Dom recalls poco-poco or line-dancing in Purawisata and walking blindfolded through the Banyan trees in Alun-alun Selatan as her favorite moments in Yogyakarta.

The Voice of Kali Code

By: Wui Jia

12 July 2009

He squatted into the river, pulled his pants down, and emptied his bowels. It was perfunctory.

Doing his business, and unfortunately, we managed to get it on tape. Sorry, stranger!

56 families live along the river, Kali Code. The river that runs between the two rows of rundown houses forms an intrinsic aspect of local life at Kali Code: defecating.

“It isn’t so bad now, the pollution, compared to last time,” said Atmo, an 84-year-old resident. He then broke into a toothless grin. When asked if anything could be done to improve life at Kali Code, he wished that prices of basic necessities could be reduced to cater to Kali Code’s meager living standards.

A sense of heritage runs rife in the community. “I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else. My family is here…I would want future generations to live here too,” said Atmo, who lives with his 20-year-old grandson. 45-year-old Priyati who makes a living selling chicken noodles has adult children who live nearby in Kali Code itself. The head of Kali Code community, Drs. Darsam, boasts that strong ties bind the community together as one. When the government proposed the building of flats to replace the rundown houses, the community protested, defending these houses as important symbols of poverty that should be preserved for education. In addition, according to Drs. Darsam, if a particular family learnt that amidst the community, they were the sole recipient of a governmental financial assistance package, they would refuse to accept it as a show of solidarity with the rest of the Kali Code residents. This is to effectively avoid any potential division among the people who seem to live by the motto ‘all for one and one for all’.

Atmo and his grandson

200 people dwell in cramped, squatter-like conditions, with mattresses strewn haphazardly on the sidewalk, and clothes lines running rampant, dotting the neighbourhood. Even while they live next to a river that reeks of contamination, laughter and incessant chatter constantly resonate throughout the neighbourhood. Little children squeal as they frolic in the river, and chase one another near the doorsteps. Faces of wizened old men and women wrinkle into smiles at the sight of visitors, like us Monash students. “I like this place. It is convenient to stay here. I can walk to shops to buy things whenever I want,” said 45-year-old Priyati.

Graffiti with designs as simple as life at Kali Code splash across the wooden walls of homes with bold vigour. This vibrant energy that reverberates throughout Kali Code reflects the passion that drove the prominent Romo Mangun to spearhead projects that have improved the lives of many at Kali Code. His launching of a hunger strike to protest the local government’s decision to evict the community brought international attention to Kali Code in the year of 1986.

Romo Mangun’s desire to fight poverty lives on, etched not only in the architecture of the buildings that he designed in Kali Code but also in the heart of Drs. Darsam. As the villagers’ leader, he ran for the recent Indonesian elections with one aim in mind: to make a significant impact in the lives of Kali Code.

“Without a representative voice, there is no direct way to elicit help from the government. No one listens if you don’t have power…there has to be a voice for Kali Code, and that is my mission,” he said.

So while Atmo wishes for the installation of more basic facilities, and the little boy squats in the river and empties his bowels, they know that someone is speaking for them, and fighting for them.

Children of Kali Code

Abeer talking with one of the elders

Wui Jia and the residents of Kali Code

*View more pictures of the day from our photo album


WRITER'S PROFILE: Wui Jia is the only Psychology major (and Writing minor) in this trip. Coming from Penang (Malaysia), Wui Jia may seem like the shyest among the bunch- possibly because prior to the trip she has not known any one of the students! Yet now Wui Jia has become fast friends with all of the students in the trip.

Kampung Kauman

By: Jane Barraclough

12 July 2009

In the heart of bustling Yogyakarta lies the unique Muhammadiyah Muslim community- Kampung Kauman. With only a small, blue archway to give away its whereabouts, few locals, let alone tourists, visit this place. Once inside the walls of the serene and welcoming neighborhood, it’s hard to believe the traffic, buskers and markets are only meters away.

On day three of our study trip, Dr Yeoh really stepped up the search for Yogyakarta, leading us through a maze of narrow streets towards the home of renowned Batik artist, Lukman Jamali, a long-time resident of Kampung Kauman.

The streets of Kauman

The pace of a rushed journey dodging trishaws and trying to keep up with our ever -adventurous pathfinder, suddenly slowed as we made our way through the traffic-free alleyways, muttering “permisi ibu” (excuse me, miss) to women outside their homes, at the advice of our student guides. Passing the hushed houses, one gets a sense that much prayer has taken place behind these walls. Further down, towards the school, through the colourful delicate windows students can be glimpsed praying. Meanwhile, residents slowly wheel their motorbikes home, adhering to an unwritten rule to maintain the peace and quiet. Even the pet budgies seem to refrain from making a racket.

Ariebowo taking us on a tour of Kauman

The people of Kauman

The calm of Kauman is no accident. The founder, K.H. Ahmad Dahlan intended to shield the community from outside noise and distractions. He set out to establish an atmosphere of study and learning in his quest for a reformed, modernized Islam that embraced the philosophies of Al Quran. After founding the village in 1912, Dahlan set up charity schools, libraries and hospitals which are still having a positive impact today. The boarding school, Kweek, which is known for its broad curriculum, draws girls from all around Indonesia, while the local library still carries out a tradition of knowledge-sharing by insisting that every hired book must be passed around to a network of seven people. The town was also the base for Dahlan’s batik design work, which he managed to turn into a successful trade.

Today’s residents are no less entrepreneurial, creative, and educated than their forefather.
Ariebowo Jamali, the son of Lukman Jamali who took up Dahlan’s mantle in the Batik business, is currently studying English literature at a local university. He kindly welcomed the study group into his family’s home this morning to tell us about the work of his father and mother, who are both masters of their craft. Sitting on the floor of his father’s studio, Ariebowo told us about Lukman’s batik paintings, which, he said were very popular in Europe, as well as locally. Examples of Lukman’s trademark, surreal faces hung on the walls of the studio, creating an artistic vibe in a space which doubles as the family room.

Only doors from the studio, Ariebowo’s mother, like many women in Kauman, works every evening at her own craft, which are no less popular around Yogya. Every morning the sound of people selling comforting, breakfast treats, or Kue Pukis, can be heard like a chant for the morning appetite. “Kue, Kue, Kue.. dua ribu dua ribu…”. At Ariebowo’s house, we had the chance to try some of Yogyakarta’s best Kue. Kue Pukis from the Kauman is known for being especially tasty, and the treats definitely lived up to their reputations. The assortment of soft, sweet bakery treats, from veggie doughnuts to butter cake, are made every day, in the wee hours of morning. For this reason, Ariebowo couldn’t introduce us to his mother, who was sleeping.

Kue, or the local delicacies made by Ariebowo's mother

Ariebowo plans to leave Kauman for further studies, but he plans to return to Kampung Kauman later to bring something back to the community as a member of the next generation and live out his twilight years in Kampung Kauman.

*View more pictures of the day from our photo album


WRITER'S PROFILE: The 24 year old Jane is an exchange student from Monash University Caufield Campus, majoring in Journalism. Originally from Canberra, Jane is one adventurous traveler- before this trip she had went on a homestay program in Sabah (East Malaysia) and on a trip to Cambodia. Being especially good with the video-camera, Jane is heading the video team.