About 100 families in Jepang hamlet, Margomulyo village, Bojonegoro regency, East Java, still follow Saminisme (Saminism).
By
Ambrosius Harto
·5 minutes read
About 100 families in Jepang hamlet, Margomulyo village, Bojonegoro regency, East Java, still follow Saminisme (Saminism). The sustainability of this teaching could be related to the presence of Hardjo Kardi as an elder figure in Sedulur Sikep or Wong Samin (Samin people).
Jepang hamlet (pronounced Njepang), surrounded by teak forests under the management of state-owned Perhutani is located on the southwestern tip of Bojonegoro. In the western part of the village there is Bengawan Solo River, which is opposite to Blora regency, Central Java. The hamlet is located 5 kilometers from the main road connecting the regencies of Ngawi-Cepu-Bojonegoro. Although it is located in Bojonegoro regency, this hamlet is closer to Blora, only 16 kilometers away.
Hardjo Kardi was born in 1934 in a hamlet within the area of Margomulyo village. This figure who said that he was still illiterate in the Latin alphabet was the third child and the only boy from Kamidin (Ki Surokarto Kamidin) and Paniyah. Kamidin passed away in 1986, but he was able to pass on the inheritance to Hardjo Kardi to maintain and continue Saminism.
Saminism is a teaching that originates from the cultural movement of the people of Blora, Central Java, ahead of the 20th century. This movement was led by Kiai Samin Anom (Raden Kohar) by refusing to pay taxes to the Dutch East Indies colonial ruler. Kiai Samin Anom alias Ki Samin Surosentiko was arrested in 1907. He was exiled to Digul, Papua, then to Sawahlunto, West Sumatra, and died there in 1914. His struggle was continued by his son-in-law, Suro Kidin, with the help of his adopted son, Kamidin.
Thus, Hardjo Kardi is the fourth generation successor to Saminism. He is a teacher, father and the elder leader of Samin people in Jepang hamlet in various ways, especially related to the life philosophy inherited from Ki Samin Surosentiko. Since childhood, he obeyed his parents and followed the guidelines for life as taught, including honesty, patience, trokal (spiritful), narima ing pandum (sincerely accepting), and sumeleh. In addition, obeying the prohibition of srei, drengki (spiteful), dahwen, kemeren (envy), arbitrarily toward others.
Open
Even though he is steadfast in implementing Saminism, Hardjo Kardi is inclusive and even open. This attitude was clearly inherited from his father, who in 1963 received certainty from Sukarno that the Indonesian people had become independent and were governing themselves. Since then, the Samin people in Jepang hamlet considered they did not need to defy and eventually willing to pay taxes. In fact, they welcome and are involved in a number of government programs.
For example, they did not reject formal education. In 1970, Hardjo Kardi pioneered the establishment of an elementary school in Jepang village. The reason is simple, supporting the view that developing the country after independence requires smart people. School is the answer.
"My children all go to school," said Hardjo Kardi in Javanese during the Samin Festival, Wednesday (11/9/2019), in Jepang hamlet.
His youngest son, Bambang Sutrisno, is an employee at the Bojonegoro regency administration. His grandchildren were members of the National Police and the Indonesian Military (TNI). However, Hardjo Kardi still farms, raises and fulfills the mandate of preserving tradition.
The straightforwardness in speaking was evident in the way Hardjo Kardi and Samin people talk. The answers are often brief, but respond to the core of the question. The egalitarian lifestyle or not discriminating between people is also held firm.
In the festival, Hardjo Kardi was also open to show some of the traditions of the Samin people, even the most sacred. For example, the display of traditional marriages that hold the principle rabi pisan kanggo saklawase (married once for all). This is a form of anti-divorce, anti-polygamy, anti-polyandry attitude in the life of Samin\'s family.
Skillful
Hardjo Kardi never received a formal education. However, he has a number of very rare skills. A set of pelog slendro musical gamelan at the Cultural Center of the Samin Community in Jepang village is his work. He is also capable of making keris, spears, swords, heirlooms, repairing electronic devices. In addition, reading and writing ancient Javanese. "I didn\'t go to school, but it’s [the skill] because of experience," he said.
In Jepang village, Hardjo Kardi is known as a farmer who is tenacious, persistent, discipline, quick to learn, and shares knowledge and experience. For this reason, Hardjo Kardi has been entrusted to lead the Panggih Mulyo farmers\' group since it was founded in 1981.
Some of the innovations they have developed include organic farming based on the use of fertilizers from livestock manure, the creation and maintenance of water sources or reservoirs for later flowing as irrigation systems and water for household and livestock needs. The way to catch fish in Bengawan Solo river and other rivers is by using traditional fishing line or nets. It is strictly forbidden to use tuba or poison and electric shock.
Hardjo Kardi also fostered and improved the management of the Forest Village Community Organization. The farmers in Jepang hamlet are tenants or farm laborers. Working closely with Perhutani, they cultivated land with an intercropping system. They also took care of the teak trees, for which they later received a share from Perhutani. This pattern endures and runs smoothly.
Hardjo Kardi
Born:1934 in Jepang hamlet, Bojonegoro
Status:Fourth generation of Saminism and elder figure of Sedulur Sikep (Samin people) Jepang Hamlet