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Post by questa on Sept 26, 2014 10:19:39 GMT
Our village was cleaned up and decorated with palm leaves. People lent us carpets and textiles to surround the throne where the couple sit to receive their guests One of the customs was for each village to have their own “Clever Speaker” who sit facing each other across the yard and make witty and wise speeches and engage in debate. Each Speaker had his posse of lads who sat with him to cheer him on. This gentleman is the Clever Speaker from Ali's village and his posse. Note the kris he wears tucked in his belt. Some villagers wait for the show to start Wati's attendants are ready to go. Our band alights from their truck band members and their dancing boy. Male relatives of Ali humbly offer gifts for Wati and to ensure a welcome Then Wati's male relatives approach humbly to ask if they may introduce their speaker (in centre front, green shirt)The man on his right is the brother of Wati The riddles, and questions go on. As it was in Kawi language, the old poetic Sanskrit based tongue; I couldn’t follow, but was told that when each man quizzed the other about the 2 families my name and origins came up. Somehow our team won. The 2 bands started playing and the dancers kicking up dust as they went Their formal dancers had that look of being superior...a thing I have found with most Indonesian dancers Wati was now being escorted by the young girls of both villages back to her former home The happy couple pose for photos, sit in the throne chair and greet the guests individually. As soon as they have finished, they change and shoot off to Ali's house where they stayed a few days. The guests piled into their transports and set off, too. In an hour all was back to normal...no food or drink and such a short time with their friends. It was quite different when her brother, Wir married Ani...I'll do that report another day.
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Post by lagatta on Sept 26, 2014 10:59:04 GMT
Beautiful report!
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Post by questa on Sept 27, 2014 1:20:01 GMT
I must apologise for the quality of the photos. They were scans of prints that were taken 12 years ago with film of dubious age and developed by a guy who rarely changed the developing fluid in his darkroom. These pics actually look better on here than the original prints. Thank heavens for digital!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 27, 2014 19:36:03 GMT
FASCINATING report QUESTA!! Why no food and drink etc. after? The costumes and decorations are gorgeous. And I love the custom of the "Clever Speakers"and their posse. It's too bad you couldn't understand them. Thanks for a great report.
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Post by questa on Sept 27, 2014 23:33:55 GMT
Casi, Lombok is Muslim so there is no culture of drinking, and although there were lots of men and women cooking great pans of rice etc, I think this was just for our villagers. People sat as usual on mats on their verandas to eat, not communally, and Ali's crowd had gone home, (It was a long drive)
It was so different when Wir, Wati's older brother, wed Ani 6 months earlier. That was more photogenic and fun. I'll scan and post soon.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2014 1:00:40 GMT
That would make sense....it just doesn't appear to be as festive in the sense of what most weddings seem. I guess what I'm trying to say is, it seems so much more solemn. Not in a negative way by any means. Very traditional which is what makes it so fascinating a report to me.
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Post by questa on Sept 28, 2014 1:26:37 GMT
It was also very confusing as both sides off the families tried to work out what was supposed to happen next. Each group had 1) the bride and groom, 2) the immediate family 3) the extended family 4) the attendants, musicians etc and 5) the villagers.
The aim of the exercise is for Ali's people to return her to her former village with pomp, to show that she is now an honoured woman of their family/village.
You may like this...the words for Bride and Bridegroom translate as Queen for a day and King for a day.
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Post by questa on Sept 28, 2014 1:52:09 GMT
Post script...this was in 2002. Wati had a kios to run (corner stall selling all the usual household things) and Ali was a security officer working nearby, so they stayed in our village rather than Ali's. I visited them a couple of times in the last 12 years and found Wati was not able to have a baby. This was a serious problem as Ali is the only son and needs to have a male heir.
A friend of mine visited them a few weeks ago and told me the problem is solved. One of Ali's sisters who had 3 kids under 5 had just had twin boys and was happy for Ali and Wati to adopt the elder one. The paperwork was done and all is legal, and everyone is happy. This is a common practice in Indonesia.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 28, 2014 15:26:28 GMT
When I first scrolled over the "wedding throne" my first impression was of a Christmas tree! I have a couple of questions about the clothing. Did any of the men wear trousers, or are sarongs "obligatory" as formal wear? Also I was wondering if there is any significance of the headscarves on the men -- if they are just to look chic for a special occasion or whether there is some sort of religious reason. I thought it was funny, too, that even though the male sarongs do not look at all like the women's dresses, probably plenty of Western women would be happy to wear one of those sarongs as a dress -- and probably be very embarrassed if they wore one in Indonesia!
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Post by questa on Sept 28, 2014 16:55:35 GMT
Kerouac, the more bling, the better. Many people wanted to lend their special things for the decorations, so we wound up with sensory overload.
Men and women still wear sarungs most of the time in the village...just the simple batik ones. Long pants or dresses are worn when going into town. For ceremonies men wear sarungs made from beautifully woven textiles of the Eastern regions of Indonesia, with a mini sarung over them.
Western women do buy lengths of batik for dresses, but the other hand woven fabrics are mostly used as wall hangings, the fabric would unravel if cut.
Re the headgear. The batik head scarf is a truly traditional mark of Indonesian culture. So much so that one of the arguments put forward for West Papuan independence is that they have "never worn the batik", therefore are not Indonesian. For official occasions, going to Friday prayers or at work in town men wear the black 'peci' cap introduced by Soekarno at independence from the Dutch. If they have made the pilgrimage to Mecca, they wear the white Muslim cap. The pics of the men in Part 1 at the meeting show these.
Usually women did not attend these meetings, but sometime I would be invited and would have to wear a head scarf draped loosely over my head.
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Post by lagatta on Sept 28, 2014 22:49:45 GMT
Yes, I was intrigued by the lack of food and drink (and I don't mean alcohol; I figured that it was Muslim part of Indonesia). I've attended Maghrebi Muslim weddings, and while there was no alcohol (at least officially, during the public ceremony) there was certainly a lot of food, tea etc.
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Post by questa on Sept 28, 2014 23:09:27 GMT
Thinking back...there was a lot of cooking going on with extra fireplaces built from bricks to hold the big pans. This was in a neighbouring compound. There were boxes of small bottles of water for the taking and probably coffee in the other compound.
The wedding party were offered the usual plate of rice and veg with a little fish, but no-one in our group had any. I just remember all Ali's folk anxious to get back to Central Lombok, as it was getting late.
Perhaps the villagers from both sides had food together that I didn't notice.
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