Gamelan Music

Found Journal

I found this Javanese journal while at a night market in Semarang. It is written in old Javanese, but from what I can read it seems pretty interesting. I want to translate it and put it on the web. Hopefully, I can upload one journal entry a week. In brackets, I will include my own thoughts to help you understand the cultural context happening in the story. There are also some intricate drawings that I can scan and upload to this blog.

November 24, 1833

[This is the last post in her journal]

Bengkulu City was a plethora of information. A current city that is said to be near Jadibhutah is Curup, located in the mountains. I traveled to Curup and it was a vision to be seen.

Majestic is not the word to describe it but it is the word that comes to mind. The city is almost lost in time. Because of its location in the mountains, few foreigners have come into contact with them. The people know of events happening in the world, but few come. Untouched by modern society, the people have strong memories of Jadibhutah.

They said that the city was once true, but fell to stronger influences. Specific information has been lost, but I am willing to explore, to learn. Every night I hold on to the gift Ratna gave me a few years past. A small, delicate necklace with hints of blue and green. I opened the gift when I landed in Pelabuhan Ratu. I nearly fainted from shock because of the color. I remembered that green was not to be worn and I worried for my safety. Few times I thought my life would have ended because of the monstrous storms that confronted the city. I knew that the nature of the seas is hazardous, but a little part of me thought that the Goddess of the South Sea was after me. When my roof fell from heavy rains, I held Ratna’s necklace in my hand. Luck has been on my side since the beginning of my trip and I knew that my destiny was to find this city.

Now in Curup, I still hold Ratna’s necklace in my possession. I never wear it, as it attracts thieves, but I keep it near me at all times. It reminds me of the love that I have and the strength to keep me going.

I just worry about the future. Underneath my feet, I feel the earth shake. Once this has been recorded in recent history. The tsunami of 1797 still lingers in the minds of Sumatrans. Few have died and the shakes did not reach Curup. But as I hold Ratna’s necklace in my hand, I can feel anger around me. The green on the necklace shines against the candle’s flame and a heavy air surrounds me. My mind is not at rest, so I write. I will try and close my eyes and wait for tomorrow. The people told me that those who venture more than 500 kilometers up the mountain do not return. Whether it is from exhaustion or other means, many have been lost. As a result, the land is cursed and I will see what is there tomorrow.

February 19, 1833

Yet another glimmer of hope has vanished. For months I traveled on the South West coast. I climbed mountains and survived off the land, but no trace of a city has been found. Often, I think of being lost and stranded here, for no one to find me. But luck is on my side, as time and time again I stumbled upon a tribe that helped me.

Whenever I visit a tribe,  I often stay for a few weeks to learn more about them. I write new discoveries down and try to find Jadibhutah. Some tribes have heard of the city and some haven’t.

This new tribe I have found has the most information. Bengkulu City is said to be near Jadibhutah. While Bengkulu City is not where the last known location is, it is very near. The city has a low elevation, but a few days travel has many mountains. In a few days, I will travel to Bengkulu City and learn more about it. This new information has reenergized my motivation for finding this city.

October 4, 1832

On the way to Lampung, the southernmost province of Sumatra, I passed by Krakatoa. Indonesia has many volcanos that have erupted and changed the natural ways of the world. In 1815 Mount Tambora erupted and caused the next year a year without summer. Crops in Indonesia and around the world were poor. Parts of Europe and North America had poor harvests. Riots broke out in Europe as prices for grain rose.

While on the ship to Bakauheni, a port city, I asked a man about stories he heard from his childhood. I am always interested in meeting new people and hearing what they have learned in life. I feel like I learned a new perspective on life when I hear the struggles of others. It allows me to learn more about the world we live in.

The man, Adi, had interesting stories for me. Sumatra has many mountains along its western coast. A majority of India is Muslim but local beliefs still take hold of the people. Traditions blend with Islam and create a new ideological structure. But with time, memories are lost and truths become stories. Adi told me of a grand city on the west coast of Sumatra, Jadibhutah. A name with Sanskrit origin, it means enchanted. The city was a place for intellect and magic. Temples were built high above the clouds, where no one was thought to live. But people did, and they flourish. Their success was said to be from the gods where they lived. The people lived in the clouds to be closer to their gods and followed blindly. They held knowledge that was advanced for their time. They knew of stars that were just discovered, and their calendars were exact. A city of great measure that soon withered under the power of the Atjeh Sultanate.

Adi told me that his family are descendants of the people in the clouds. Jadibhutah is lost, except for the stories that continue being told.

His story gave me hope. Perhaps the rumors I heard of younger in Java were true. After landing here so many months ago, I researched the area. West Sumatra is plagued with earthquakes and tsunamis. Perhaps the city of Jadibhutah is still there, just under rubble and vegetation of the forest. Soon I will venture out and find this city.

 

April 14, 1832

My exploration skills over the year have been refined. I can identify plants that which are edible and I have learned much from the people in the area. The city of Pelabuhan Ratu is beautiful. The waters along the coast are clearer than the sky and the winds carry a gentle breeze around the city. It is a tranquil place here, but I have seen the powers of the ocean. I know with my Dutch education that the Goddess of the South Sea does not control the ocean, but the belief is so powerful here that is almost overwhelms the mind. Fishermen and villagers both offer sacrifices of great beauty. Batiks, rice, vegetables, and other luxuries are sent to the sea. The shape of the land in Pelabuhan Ratu is like a horseshoe. I think because of the geological features the waters are so strong. Almost every rain there are waves that seem to swallow up the city.

The temple I thought of so often has little truth here. There are few temples and high structural buildings because of the terrain and waters. The location is often plagued by earthquakes and tsunamis. Homes do not last long and cities are rebuilt in centuries. Little has lasted for millennia. I have spent much time in Java, exploring little of what India has to offer. Sumatra is just a few days away from Java. A new island with different people, cultures, and ideologies would be the perfect escape from my failures in adventure. So far, I have not found anything of structure or new myths. Sumatra is undiscovered to me, and I want to find my place there.

April 14, 1831

My dreams of adventure are almost in my reach. I have acquired the necessary funds to travel to Sumatra. Tomorrow at noon is when my boat leaves. Throughout my collecting of funds, I wanted to see if someone would like to join me in my endeavors. Apparently, when a woman asks people if they want to go to uncharted forests and find a temple based on rumors, no one wants to go. There is not truth in what I am saying, and maybe there is not. But I have this feeling of excitement when I think of leaving. I cannot wait for the future to unravel.

I am traveling to Pelabuhan Ratu, a city located in West Java. From Batavia, I will travel by land and finally start my adventure. The city is said to be beautiful. Mountains populate the horizon, trees dot the land, and the waters are bluer than the sky. The temple I heard so many years ago is said to be near here. The waters near the temple are said to be cursed, home to the goddess of the sea. She controls the waters near Indonesia, responsible for the violent waters near the area. She goes by many names, Nyai Loro Kidul, Ratu Laut Selatan -which mean Queen of the South Sea- and Gusti Kanjeng Ratu Kidul. The honorifics Nyai, Kanjeng, and Gusti describes her in high regards. The goddess transforms into a mermaid, claiming the lives of local fishermen by dragging them into the depths of the ocean.

The goddess’ name has many meanings. Through evolution and mistranslation, the meaning changed. Loro in Javanese means two. The beginnings of her story have two starts: she was born as a beautiful girl or maiden. In Old Javanese, the word was rara or roro. New Javanese transformed the word rara into lara, but it can also mean ill or grief like heartache. The Dutch changed the norm of spelling and turned it into loro, which can mean sick. Nyai Lara, originally meaning beautiful girl, moved to Nyai Loro, sick one.

Pelabuhan Ratu is said to be the city where a beautiful princess was cured of her curse. A rival princess asked a witch to make the beautiful princess horrid looking. The princess, now cursed, ran into the ocean where she regained her beauty. However, to keep her beauty she must remain in the sea as queen. The waves of the sea are treacherous, often causing many deaths in a year. Local fishermen do not wear the color green, as it is said it is her sacred color. Wearing green offends her and she sweeps them into the sea.

Yesterweek I went back to my old house to visit Ratna. I wanted to say goodbye before I left. At her old age, she still works hard. Her many children have become successful and help her since her job working for my father has given her financial freedom. Ratna wished me well and gave me a gift for good luck. I have yet to open it, as I feel when I see the gift all happiness will be gone. The reality of me leaving Ratna will be evident. I miss Ratna and all she has given me, fluency in the Malay language, local customs, and love. Without my mother, she has become my surrogate. I shall miss her dearly on my travels.

January 29, 1831

Late last year, I became a governess. I moved out of my father’s house and into an aristocratic family. The wages are not high, but there are enough. Slowly, I have been saving up my money. After teaching arithmetics and literature to children, I learned that I have little maternal instincts. These past few months I have been busy providing Malay translations to British and Dutch traders. Father seems to have forgotten about me. Rarely do we speak much. Most matters include politeness and catching up on news, but there are few interactions between us. Ratna, thankfully, has ended her incessant ramblings and schemes to get me and my father to speak again.

On the news of my new job. After much deliberating, I have convinced another merchant to allow me to aid in his business. Before me, he has had no permanent worker who spoke Malay. How could one get so far without the use of the lingua franca?! It was a long and arduous conversation, but the old, merchant allowed me to be his translator. It was not long until my services were needed for other traders. The British -and their consistent lack of cultural knowledge- needed some help in the Dutch East Indies. I have helped a few British traders established relations with local owners. How I much rather arrange business with my fellow Dutchmen. The British are loud and rude. They conduct meetings with drunken arguments that lead nowhere. How did they ever conquer much of the world? The Dutch are quite the opposite. Our meetings are the result of careful deliberation. I have asked to the locals who they preferred and many have said the Dutch. Like our fellow natives, we have similar behaviors. We require an established relationship before continuing with our trade business.

With my Malay translation services, I have acquired a small fortune. Against my own wishes, I plan to follow in the footsteps of Sir Thomas Raffles. His interest in Javanese culture and history has left a deep impression on me. After his discovery of Borobudur, I often think back to when I was younger and heard rumors of a temple hidden in Sumatra. My current aspiration to travel and find that temple. I do not have much luck in finding a temple, but the journey must be grand! I do not expect fame and fortune, in fact I expect more ridicule, but I want to go on this journey to find something.

August 30, 1830

It has been a while since I have written. The past week I have been getting into arguments with my father. I have alienated the last of my suitors, as my father cannot bribe any more men to take an interest in me. How dare he trade me off like I am one of his items?

I am too angry to tell more. Ratna, my dear maid and confident, also wants me to be married. She tells me that life has no meaning without having someone near you. She also tells me that my father is worried about me and my future. I am unmarriageable and have little to my name. When my father dies, his fortune will go to the nearest male heir. Right now, I do not care for his fortune, nor do I care about how my position in life determines how I should live.

I am more and more frustrated with the lack of enjoyment in my life. Recently, I have been furthering other’s education. In India [India in colonial times can mean British India or the Dutch East Indies], I teach other Dutch children their lessons in literature, history, and grammar. There is no direction and I am stuck in a boring cycle of lessons and reading.

I am much more interested in the conflicts between the British and the Dutch on the islands. The British, in their brutish ways, are exploring more and more of India. They are beginning with Malaya [Malaysia] and slowing moving east. Singapore was the beginning of their conquest. After the 1824 treaty [Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824], Singapore has grown marvelously under British rule. Father does most of his trading business there now. Oh, how he can travel so freely. I wish to do the same.

August 16, 1830

[I will jump a few years ahead to get to the end of the journal]

I have become an age where I must marry. My father is pressuring me to get married to Johannes Van der Beek. Johannes is an officer of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. My father thinks he will be the best suitor for me since I rejected the previous men.

I do not think that I will be happiest if I am to be married to a stranger. My age and eccentricities deter most men, including my father. It seems that when I was younger he indulged in my fantasies. But now that I am of age, I need to be a respective member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

I have struggled with the pressure of my father and my own longing for adventure. Dutch women are not supposed to travel the interior of India alone[India in Dutch often refers to the Dutch East Indies]. When I asked my father if I could go to Sumatra alone he nearly collapsed. He warned me of the savages that lived there. The natives of Atjeh are more violent than the Javanese.

The Dutch are fighting more wars in the area. Pepper is the main export in that area and the sultanate fights the Dutch for more autonomy in trade. It is a dangerous time to be there, my father told me.

But I cannot shake the feeling that something is there. Ever since I heard of Sir Raffles discovering a temple of indescribable size, traveling throughout the Orient, I cannot help but feel that I too have a need to travel. What more could we learn if we studied the people of interior India and the Americas? What new technology they have used for hundreds of years, what the people are like. I hope my father can come around to me restraining from modern values.

 

 

 

 

Story Map

I have created a map to show the places Verena Andoko traveled to. In the future, I will add dates and descriptions for all to read. Hopefully, this visualization will make things easier in terms of placement in Indonesia for those unfamiliar with the country.

March 15, 1827

It had been a while since I have written in this journal. But I must say, nothing of importance happened during my time traveling to Batavia from Jogyakarta. I came down with a terrible ache in my head. I decided to go to Bali alone, against my father’s wishes. I think the terrible pollution it affecting my health. All of the people, noise, and smoke cannot be good for my health. I decided to go to Bali as it is a paradise on Earth. The calm waters and exotic animals are a new adventure every day. I asked Ratna to follow me on my retreat and she obliged. She carried my belongings to my temporary residence from my home in Batavia and made sure I was comfortable. It was the day of silence, Nyepi, so we were not allowed to do anything. I welcomed this much needed peace as I slept past morning the next day.

After resting for a day after arrival, I began to explore the beaches at Sanur. The sound of waves crashing relaxed my body as I walked along the sand. The next day I arrived at this quaint, Hindu temple. The natives were dancing to a wonderful gamelan tune.

I was deeply impressed by their dancing and passion. It reflected so strongly with their beliefs and religion. I arrived at this temple the day after Nyepi. They were performing rituals and making much more noise than usual.

I took a shine to one small girl, Putri. She talked very much with me, barely leaving my and Ratna’s side. We told her much about life in Batavia. She turned her nose up at all the dirty descriptions of the city and said she would prefer to live on the island. I told her I would like to do so too. With childlike intention, Putri invited us to stay with her. I laughed and said that while I enjoy the peace and quiet, I am more intrigued by the thought of adventure. Her mother called her over for dinner and I returned to my room with Ratna.

By the day I am hearing talks of the Netherlands coming to this island. I like to think of this island as my special secret, unknown to the world. But at the rate the British are going, there might be no more unknown islands left in the world. The British are so violent and angry in their ways, contrasting the peaceful and simple lives of the native peoples on these islands. The Dutch are more suited to the Dutch East Indies as our cultures are more similar than the British. Hopefully, the natives can see it this way too. The cooperation between the colonies and the kingdom can be a fruitful measure, can it not?

 

~Verena Andoko