Indonesia ● Java ● Central Java

Jathilan, inheritance of Java

Also known as Kuda Lumping or Jaranan, Jathilan comes from the Javanese sentence “Jaranne jan thil-thillan tenan” which means "The horse really dances irregularly”.

Jathilan is the oldest type of traditional dance in Java, an art that has long been known by the people especially Central and East Java regions. In ancient times, it was always sacred and associated with supernatural. In addition to this ancient spectacle, Jathilan was also used for ceremonies related to the ancestral spirits.

It has a long history of accompanying the Javanese people in defending their homeland. Most of the stories explained that Jathilan art contain the meaning of war, and is representing the struggle for fighting Dutch colonialism (With important figures such as Sunan Kalijaga or Prince Diponegoro). By using artificial horses made of bamboo, or other costumes, it was a form of appreciation and support for the horsemen who bravely fight the enemy.

There is no exact history that can be used as a unique true knowledge. Instead, there are various verbal stories which can be heard, and are transmitted that way to the next generations, as well as the dancing art itself. Interpreting and promoting this art are part of the teaching process. Thru the time, the art of Jathilan has experienced ups and downs. This is due to the evolving social status and technology. From year to year, it began to change from being a public ritual, a place to show the identity of the Javanese people who had military power to fight, to an entertaining spectacle, more for distracting sympathizers and for tourism purpose.

In accordance with our evolution, the dance performances nowadays are packaged with different sides so it remains attractive to the younger generation who are familiar with modern traditions. Two standards are displayed. Namely the old standard which is often referred as "Jathilan Pung Jroll”, and the new standard which is better known as "Jathilan new creation". Pung Jroll is known as a "classic" standard, close to the earlier Jathilan when it first appeared. Pung Jroll is a simple Jathilan art, both in terms of appearance and gamelan music accompaniment.

Creations and innovations seem to be required to survive in our society. Likewise, the modernization of Jathilan art was necessary so it doesn’t sounds so foreign to today's children who have enjoyed the advanced era. For the young generation, this art performance is a form of cultural stewardship which must be preserved, and does not become extinct and be swallowed up by the current civilization mindset.

When performing the Jathilan or Kuda Lumping dance, figures of soldiers who looks similar to the ancient kingdom are staged, and their dance movements are accompanied by the strains of high-pitched gamelan instruments and sinden chants.

The leader, recognizable from his agile and energetic movements, will usually make the dancers experiment spirit possession.

At first, the dancers seem graceful by moving their bodies, but over time they become possessed by spirits. The condition of this possession in Javanese is often called by the term "Ndadi" or in English "trance". Because the Jathilan dancers are possessed, the dance movements began to become irregular. This is how the word Jathilan was made.

During their trances, the dancers are almost unaware of what they are doing, and experience a loss of consciousness. In some rituals and performances, these dancers might perform dangerous stunts beyond reason. The magic and spirits come inside, and turn them into super hero.

There are other performers like the gamelan musicians, make-up artists, and what may be left behind is the existence of the "Pawang”, the healer or handler, whose roles and responsibilities are to control the course of the show, and heal the possessed dancers. The presence of the handler in the middle of the Jathilan Dance is said to be the guardian of the spirits. The handler is also in charge of awakening the dancers when they feel they have been possessed for too long, or disturb the audience.

You may see Jathilan dancers in trance walking on burning coals, eat grasses that cannot be digested by human (For example some toxic leaves or some flowers), chew shards of glass, devour burning embers or alive chicken, fighting with swords or cut themselves while not bleeding. Another performer or shaman can use a whip in their bodies to direct them, which can cause various injuries. In some areas the dancers serve as oracles to deliver prophecies.

After awakening from their trances, performers claim not to remember anything done while performing, without feeling the pain from before.

Originally this attraction is not really a show of superiority, but an illustration that non-militaries also have the power to fight the Dutch troops. The dancers are obedient with high belief in the spirits of their ancestors. This is where they find their strenght.

In those traditional shows, it is possible to see various other representations of Indonesian characters, such as gods, heroes, legends, as well as people dancing on woven bamboo horses (Kuda Lumping), or with dragon/lion mixed creature’s masks (Reog). It is usually separated in different acts.

Although Jathilan still appeared very innocent because only performed in small hamlets, it almost disappeared in the 60’s, mainly because of controversial political and religious reasons. It was blamed as attracting the communist masses, and as for the clergy, inviting the devil. Many artists where killed at the time. The tradition almost got destroyed.

In order to improve their image in public, Jathilan artists began to revitalize it in the 70s. Refinements in the area of dance, clothes, make-up and music begun, smoothing them, and trying to get better behaviours. This action was carried out by the artists themselves, because at that time the monitoring from the government was still too strong. To get rid of the stigma, the artist carried out this strategy to protect the art of Jathilan.

After this, it began to receive recognition from the community and the government, and finally dare to compete with other arts. Restoring the image of Jathilan art, which was previously considered bad or a heretical science in the eyes of the public, was vital to be fully trusted by the people again.

Nowadays the Jathilan tries to marry traditional and modern art. For example, it mixes songs with traditional rythms, and more modern Javanese music like Dangdut. The emergence of these new creations cannot be separated from what the audience wants, and what their era wants. Artists however usually prefer to play with standards.

The main challenge of Jathilan art is that each of them has its own codes and they do not want to be uniformed as one. Vast complexity make it hard to gather and collect informations. There is no manual or books with the knowledge inside. It is only developed and given by oral traditions, which makes hard to maintain the existence in the years to come. Young people get less and less interests in local traditions, they prefer to play with the phones and stay in the city life. Jathilan is an inheritance from their ancestors. Somehow, leaving the standards and those skills is really eliminating their ancestors.

Luckily some groups still persists, mainly performing after Idul Fitri, in the good season (May-June). They ensure the continuation of the Jathilan tradition, one tradition among the various inheritance of Java.

Gallery