Bromo: Life, Legend, Natural Grandeur
The mountain breeze chills to the bone. Shivering slightly, I wait in high anticipation... hoping for the long awaited sun to rise, just as expected...
The Tengger caldera stretches out afar. With a diameter of 8 - 10 km, the whole area covers not less than 5,250 hectares. But at this time of day what can be seen is only the sloping edges. A white mist seems to hang over it, covering most of the gaping crater.
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| Breathtaking vistas right after the sunrise. |
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| Horses have become the best companion to the Tenggerese. |
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| This November 7-12, the Tenggerese community
celebrate "Karo" as among the most festive occassions. Photo by Yoni Astuti |
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In the center, five peaks jut up from the haze, namely the mountains Bromo, Batok, Widodaren, Kursi and Giri. In the far background, is Mount Semeru (3,676 meters above sea level), the highest peak on the whole island of Java, standing tall acting as an anchor to all the natural splendor that meets the eye at this point. Meanwhile, volcanic smoke can be seen billowing continuously from Bromo, with occasional mushroom clouds puffing up from the symmetrical peak of Semeru, adding to the spectacular views. A larger than life sensation.
The red shades of the eastern horizon gradually yellow. Slowly but surely, the sun's glory emerges from behind the obscure mountain ranges of the island's east. The exceptional outlook becomes even clearer as the solar rays sweep the peaks and pierce the mists... breathtaking.
This is the most famous and distinguished natural showcase of Bromo at its best. Hundreds of people come every year to be able to experience the emergence of the Tengger caldera at sunrise.
But to the Tenggerese, these are merely normal daily scenes. It is quite inimitable that in such a remote mountainous area live people that equal their own natural surroundings in terms of uniqueness.
It is said that long ago lived a beautiful woman known by the name of Rory Anteng. Because of her attractiveness, there came a day when an evil giant who possessed magical powers approached her to propose. Not daring to reject the giant directly, Roro Anteng asked him to make her a sandy desert in between the mountains in one night. She hoped that the giant wouldn't have the power to be able to fulfill her conditional request, moreover before daybreak.
But the giant magician started out to accomplish the unbelievable that very night. Alas, the giant began to work very swiftly. In witnessing this, Roro Anteng started to think about how to interrupt the giant's work. At last she thought of an idea, so set out to make noises of all sorts that eventually woke up the roosters. Finally the roosters began to crow, signaling the break of dawn.
On hearing the roosters calls, the giant was flabbergasted and became very sorrowful for having failed his task. Frustrated, he threw the coconut shell (batok) that he used to dig, which then fell to the ground beside Mount Bromo, forming what is now known as Mount Batok. Conversely, the sandy plain was to form the Tengger caldera.
The story continues. Roro Anteng then met up with Joko Seger, a young man who was a descendant of the great Majapahit Kingdom, who led a reclusive life on the desolate mountain range. Joko Seger and Roro Anteng soon fell in love and were married. Both lived happily in peace and were blessed with many children. Their bloodline continued their legacy. With the turn of time they also gradually formed the tribal community of the Tengger (taken from the names 'Roro Anteng' and 'Joko Seger'). The Tengger tribe is now referred to as the aboriginals that occupy the Bromo area, the place where their ancestors started their path of life from ancient times.
Surely this is the legend of the Bromo and Tenggerese origins that has been handed down from generation to generation... one among the many legends and myths that surround the Bromo mountain range.
Hundreds of years ago when the Tenggerese were thought to have begun their community, the Bromo range was a remote and desolate area. They were far from the centers of human civilizations that at that time were in the area of Kediri - Malang (Majapahit dominions). Consequently, living in this area would have been regarded as 'exile'. However the isolation and the relatively minimal contact with other societies made this tribe develop into a one-of-a-kind community.
It is not hard to understand these people's way of life and beliefs. They live on the edge of a magnificent million-year-old caldera with four dormant and one active volcanic peak. Mount Bromo is one of the active and frequently erupting volcanoes in this archipelago, therefore the humble character frequently reflected through the native people has become an inseparable part of their lives.
At those times when Bromo starts to grumble and cough, it becomes a sign of a result of misconduct by the people. They will then proceed in introspection to see what they had done wrong and make up for it. Moreover, every year a ceremony that involves offerings being brought to the top of Bromo as a token of gratitude for the blessings of the past year takes place.
In order to ease the interaction with nature, horses have likewise come into use as well as being the people's best companions. These mighty beasts are not indigenous to Bromo, but have been introduced from other areas. The horse tradition is relatively new, after having opened doors and having more contact with the outside world. But the adaptation of the Tenggerese as horsemen has fallen into place. Horses have in due course become part of their cultural existence. Even the horses and the Tenggerese have formed to become the dual icons of Bromo.
And the Tengger tribe that has for centuries been a part of this natural legacy slowly but surely enters into the tourism industry by becoming native tour guides. They utilize their mighty and dutiful horses to carry visitors up the slopes of Bromo, or accompany sunrise hunters in their 4x4 Jeeps. All have become new rituals, and all have become new blessings for them.
Nature indeed continues to provide the blessings, and the Tengger tribe will continue this inherited harmonious relationship. The strong spiritual bonds will have no end.
By Fadil Aziz, photos by Donald Seery
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