XI Cultural Preservation Center Protects Cultural Heritage Of The Tengger Tribe

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - The Center for Preservation of Culture Region XI in collaboration with a number of parties to protect the cultural heritage of the Tengger Tribe by asking for input from traditional actors such as the dukun of the Pandita and the young drivers of the customs of Tengger residents.

"We ask traditional actors and young people to provide input and continue to be actively involved in efforts to protect Tengger's cultural heritage which includes the stages of inventory, security, maintenance, rescue, and publication," said Head of the XI Regional Cultural Preservation Center Endah Budi Heryani in a written statement, quoted from Antara, Saturday 30 September.

The XI Region Cultural Preservation Center has also held a cultural gathering at Pendapa Pura Mandara Giri Semeru Agung, Senduro District, Lumajang Regency.

Sarasehan itu menghadirkan perwakilan dhukun pandita dan umum muda pengger adat warga Tengger dengan narasuar Koordinator Pusat Kajuan Penjujuan Kebudayaan Universitas Jember Ikwan Setiawan dan Pusat Penyelitian Arkeologi, Prajari, dan Sejarah BRIN Putri Novita Taniardi.

"We need input and proposals that will be used as recommendations for next year's program. We hope that the pandita dhukun will continue to provide knowledge of rituals and other cultural expressions to children and young people," he said.

With the hectic social media, he continued, the young Tengger Tribe can be directed to upload rituals and Tengger customs to be widely known by the public.

The Coordinator of the Center for the Study of the Advancement of Culture at the University of Jember, Ikwan Setiawan, explained that Tengger has a complete cultural wealth ranging from expressions and oral traditions, performing arts, local languages, rituals, knowledge, to crafts.

According to him, Tengger residents are special humans because they have been able to adapt to modern culture since the colonial era until now, but still believe and practice ancestral teachings.

"Dhukun pandita and residents of Tengger have always continued to make efforts to protect by passing on ancestral teachings and rituals through the active involvement of children and young people in the implementation of customs," he said.

He said parents also transform lead to children when they gegeny (cook) in the kitchen, so that Tengger residents must be subjects in the state-designed protection program.

Several representatives of the pandita dhukun and young people provide input to the Cultural Preservation Center so that there is a training program for young people for inventory, such as how to record various cultures such as rituals and their techniques, various mantra, lecturers, arts, and others.

The village government is also expected to allocate a budget to build traditional houses or cultural homes that accommodate artifacts and a collection of information about Tengger culture, apart from being a training ground.