split into two parts: (a) Manunggaling kawula
Gusti (unity of King with the subject), in which the
people follow the Sultan’s order and the Sultan
listens to the people; and (b) Sangkan paraning
dumadhi (remembering the origin and purpose of
life), which is to govern one’s life with wisdom
with respect to the use of nature and also the
fatalistic philosophy about Mt. Merapi as “my
ancestor,” which can be explained as “Here is
where I was born, and here I will die.” There are
also additional values, such as gotong-royong or
collective action, which is known throughout the
regional level and in each sub-case to be used in
everyday life and during a disaster. Another value
is the taboo, which as shown in Sub-case 1, is the
taboo against panicking during a lahar. This is
related to the premonition of Sultan IX; when a
lahar occurs, one should stay calm by the riverside.
In Sub-case 3, the taboo relates to not disturbing the
Opak River, as it is believed to seek a victim, or
tumbal, whenever a balance of nature is disturbed
there. This is supported through the death of the
Tegal Weir project leader during the weir construction, and some children swimming in the Opak
River being found dead.
(4) Resource management practices
At the regional level, the practices consist of
wangsit (premonition), pranata mangsa (Javanese seasonal calendar), and direct resource utilization. The premonition is part of the practice, as
it is considered as a traditional version of analysis
conducted by the Sultan or “wise” person of the
Sultanate. Some important findings on the premonition consist of the 700-year major eruption
cycle (Troll et al. 2015), as the start of a new era,
where 2010 is not considered within this time
range. This fact means in the future, circa 2100,
Mt. Merapi will have another major eruption as
the momentum of radical change in the Republic
of Indonesia. As explained in the artifacts, the
geger bulus is a product of wangsit by Sultan I,
when determining the new capital city of the
Muslim Mataram. In 2010, before the lahar flowed, Sultan X had a premonition of where the
lahar will flow. This premonition made him go to
the six rivers flowing from Mt. Merapi dressed in
his traditional clothing, stabbing those rivers with
his spear as a way to remind his people to stay
away from the riverside. In Sub-case 1, the story
of the premonition is told about Sultan IX visiting
the village and knowing when lahar flood is
coming by meditating in the middle of Gendol
River, which relates to the taboo of panicking
during a lahar. However, the other sub-cases do
not have any recorded experience of this practice.
The pranata mangsa (Javanese seasonal calendar) as practice on land and water resources is
reported at the regional level. The practice uses
biophysical indicators to determine which seasons are in place. However, Sub-case 2 no longer
used this, Sub-case 1 used it for recognizing the
main seasons (rainy season (rendheng) and dry
season (ketiga)), whereas, in Sub-case 3, four of
the twelve mangsa (labuh udhan, rendheng,
ketiga, and rendheng-pangarep kasanga) are still
acknowledged along with their five-senses wisdom (as explained in the next section). The fallow land activity is related to the pranata mangsa
during the dry season, during which the farmers
allow the land to rest.
The direct resource utilization of the lahar
sediment is the sand mining activities, and temporary farming on wedi kengser or floodplain
occurs throughout the sub-cases. In Sub-cases 1
and 3, the floodplain is used for temporary farming, but in Sub-case 2, the floodplain behind the
dikes is used as an illegal settlement, and areas
inside the river body are also used for temporary
farming. Sand mining activities are more apparent
in Sub-case 1 and used for large-scale industrial
purposes. Whereas in Sub-case 2, sand mining is
used to add elevation to the riverside settlement
and in private construction. In Sub-case 3, traditional sand mining activities are conducted using
the lahar sediment found in the riverbed. Knowledge of taking advantage of the lahar sediment has
been known since ancient times, using the quote
of a respondent in Sub-case 1:
There will be a day when you will be able to
auction the Gendol. (Subardjo, Argomulyo Village
official).
This saying is being supported by practice, as
Mt. Merapi’s rivers are considered “black gold”
196
V. Ariyanti et al.
Gusti (unity of King with the subject), in which the
people follow the Sultan’s order and the Sultan
listens to the people; and (b) Sangkan paraning
dumadhi (remembering the origin and purpose of
life), which is to govern one’s life with wisdom
with respect to the use of nature and also the
fatalistic philosophy about Mt. Merapi as “my
ancestor,” which can be explained as “Here is
where I was born, and here I will die.” There are
also additional values, such as gotong-royong or
collective action, which is known throughout the
regional level and in each sub-case to be used in
everyday life and during a disaster. Another value
is the taboo, which as shown in Sub-case 1, is the
taboo against panicking during a lahar. This is
related to the premonition of Sultan IX; when a
lahar occurs, one should stay calm by the riverside.
In Sub-case 3, the taboo relates to not disturbing the
Opak River, as it is believed to seek a victim, or
tumbal, whenever a balance of nature is disturbed
there. This is supported through the death of the
Tegal Weir project leader during the weir construction, and some children swimming in the Opak
River being found dead.
(4) Resource management practices
At the regional level, the practices consist of
wangsit (premonition), pranata mangsa (Javanese seasonal calendar), and direct resource utilization. The premonition is part of the practice, as
it is considered as a traditional version of analysis
conducted by the Sultan or “wise” person of the
Sultanate. Some important findings on the premonition consist of the 700-year major eruption
cycle (Troll et al. 2015), as the start of a new era,
where 2010 is not considered within this time
range. This fact means in the future, circa 2100,
Mt. Merapi will have another major eruption as
the momentum of radical change in the Republic
of Indonesia. As explained in the artifacts, the
geger bulus is a product of wangsit by Sultan I,
when determining the new capital city of the
Muslim Mataram. In 2010, before the lahar flowed, Sultan X had a premonition of where the
lahar will flow. This premonition made him go to
the six rivers flowing from Mt. Merapi dressed in
his traditional clothing, stabbing those rivers with
his spear as a way to remind his people to stay
away from the riverside. In Sub-case 1, the story
of the premonition is told about Sultan IX visiting
the village and knowing when lahar flood is
coming by meditating in the middle of Gendol
River, which relates to the taboo of panicking
during a lahar. However, the other sub-cases do
not have any recorded experience of this practice.
The pranata mangsa (Javanese seasonal calendar) as practice on land and water resources is
reported at the regional level. The practice uses
biophysical indicators to determine which seasons are in place. However, Sub-case 2 no longer
used this, Sub-case 1 used it for recognizing the
main seasons (rainy season (rendheng) and dry
season (ketiga)), whereas, in Sub-case 3, four of
the twelve mangsa (labuh udhan, rendheng,
ketiga, and rendheng-pangarep kasanga) are still
acknowledged along with their five-senses wisdom (as explained in the next section). The fallow land activity is related to the pranata mangsa
during the dry season, during which the farmers
allow the land to rest.
The direct resource utilization of the lahar
sediment is the sand mining activities, and temporary farming on wedi kengser or floodplain
occurs throughout the sub-cases. In Sub-cases 1
and 3, the floodplain is used for temporary farming, but in Sub-case 2, the floodplain behind the
dikes is used as an illegal settlement, and areas
inside the river body are also used for temporary
farming. Sand mining activities are more apparent
in Sub-case 1 and used for large-scale industrial
purposes. Whereas in Sub-case 2, sand mining is
used to add elevation to the riverside settlement
and in private construction. In Sub-case 3, traditional sand mining activities are conducted using
the lahar sediment found in the riverbed. Knowledge of taking advantage of the lahar sediment has
been known since ancient times, using the quote
of a respondent in Sub-case 1:
There will be a day when you will be able to
auction the Gendol. (Subardjo, Argomulyo Village
official).
This saying is being supported by practice, as
Mt. Merapi’s rivers are considered “black gold”
196
V. Ariyanti et al.