My Cultural Biography
Cultural
Biography
I
live in a small and remote village in Kebumen, Central Java. Almost all of
people in my village are Javanese, including me. Some of them are Sundanese and
Madurese. In daily life, we speak Bahasa Jawa Ngapak. In certain events such as
kirab, ruwat bumi, and other
tradition ceremonials , we speak Bahasa Jawa Krama. Some people who have high caste in the society or usually
called important person, also speak Bahasa Jawa Krama in their daily life to
respect the others. It defines social class among them. The higher social class
they have, the higher level of Bahasa
Krama they use.
My
mother is Javanese, but my father is Sundanese. My grandparents are Javanese,
too. My family still follows our tradition from our elders. We follow the birth
tradition to death tradition. In my village, there are many traditions. For
instance, when someone is
pregnant, and her pregnancy reaches 4 months, there will be a ‘Ngapati’ceremony, usually using ‘Kupat’ as a
sign of good hope for the baby. That is one example ceremonial that
we still uphold. People in my village, assume culture like western
civilization, they think that culture is something superior, goo, nice, and
wonderful.
We
also do such death ceremonials. There is also something unique. Before bringing the corpse to the graveyard, the
children of the corpse will be asked to stay under the corpse for a while. The
purpose is to strengthen the children who are left by their mother or father.
On the way to the graveyard, the family of the corpse will spread small changes, but the small changes are not
allowed to be taken.
In daily life, there is a unique ceremony in my village. This ceremony is called Jabel. Jabel is a joint prayer done at night before harvesting rice. In the morning before harvesting, we put food on the rice field where the rice will be harvested. People do hope the food is gone before they harvest the rice because if the food runs out, they believe that the harvest will be abundant. Then, in the afternoon rice is allowed to be harvested. My family is quite different from others in my village. My family does not follow all of the traditions. We choose the tradition that does not conflict our religion. Other people sometimes judge us. They say that we do not obey the traditions. We think it is all about choices. We have the right to choose what we are going to do and do not. It is about perspective and we are the subject, not the object. Therefore, we choose to do what we believe. My parents never told me that Javanese culture is the best culture in this country even in this world. That belief usually called Ethnocentric. My parents do not do that, but they tell that we have to give tolerance to the others. In my point of view, every culture has their own uniqueness. The different uniqueness causes the gorgeous diversity. Diversity is also important. Indonesia consists of many races and they are all different. The only thing we have to do is respect them. That means, we have to give tolerance to each other.
My parents always encourage me to go traveling. They don’t bound me to know other cultures in other places. They always welcome about it as long as it does not against our beliefs. When my parents and I went to Bandung for weeks, we met people from various places in Indonesia. We also learned about their culture, especially Bandung. We introduce and respect each other. My parents do not only say and tell, but they give the real examples.
I reckon upbringing that given to me is a good value. There is a unique upbringing that given by my parents. My parents always say that “We are not a rich family, so please do not act like a rich person”. People perhaps act and show that they have anything they want, they go to places they dream of, and so far. That is very different from what my parents said. That is why I call it a unique thing as “Simplicity”. This the only thing is genuinely true. I always put it in my mind. From that only sentence, I learn a thousand things. Do not be arrogant or proud, stay modest, be honest, and so on which is important to live my life.
Cultural identity affects my communication with others from mainstream culture. I often meet and have communication with people who have mainstream culture, for me, it is easier to point out my opinion. They directly know what I am saying. They catch it rapidly. When they point out their opinion, I also catch it easily.
I ever lived in Cikarang, Bekasi, West Java. I think in that time, I was influenced by West Java’s culture which is quite diverse and different with mine. It is not that different, but a little bit different. The long I lived there, the more its culture influenced me. At the first beginning I lived there, it was not really seen. I also ever traveled to other cities in Indonesia, such as Bandung, Jakarta, Tasikmalaya, and others which most of them are in West Java. Although almost people in those cities speak Bahasa Sunda, they are different. For instance, people in Cikarang speak Bahasa Sunda Kasar, but Tasikmalaya’s people speak Bahasa Sunda Alus.
Religious beliefs guide my behavior. My parents say that we have to take the first priority in religious beliefs. All things in this world are related to religious beliefs, if we believe it. I struggle to adjust my clothing with the rules in my religion. I do the same thing with my behavior. I don’t want to out of the rules. For example, hijab. I have been trying to keep my hijab until the end of my life. That is one of the religious beliefs that I keep in my mind. It is an obligation in my religion, so I try to obey.
In daily life, there is a unique ceremony in my village. This ceremony is called Jabel. Jabel is a joint prayer done at night before harvesting rice. In the morning before harvesting, we put food on the rice field where the rice will be harvested. People do hope the food is gone before they harvest the rice because if the food runs out, they believe that the harvest will be abundant. Then, in the afternoon rice is allowed to be harvested. My family is quite different from others in my village. My family does not follow all of the traditions. We choose the tradition that does not conflict our religion. Other people sometimes judge us. They say that we do not obey the traditions. We think it is all about choices. We have the right to choose what we are going to do and do not. It is about perspective and we are the subject, not the object. Therefore, we choose to do what we believe. My parents never told me that Javanese culture is the best culture in this country even in this world. That belief usually called Ethnocentric. My parents do not do that, but they tell that we have to give tolerance to the others. In my point of view, every culture has their own uniqueness. The different uniqueness causes the gorgeous diversity. Diversity is also important. Indonesia consists of many races and they are all different. The only thing we have to do is respect them. That means, we have to give tolerance to each other.
My parents always encourage me to go traveling. They don’t bound me to know other cultures in other places. They always welcome about it as long as it does not against our beliefs. When my parents and I went to Bandung for weeks, we met people from various places in Indonesia. We also learned about their culture, especially Bandung. We introduce and respect each other. My parents do not only say and tell, but they give the real examples.
I reckon upbringing that given to me is a good value. There is a unique upbringing that given by my parents. My parents always say that “We are not a rich family, so please do not act like a rich person”. People perhaps act and show that they have anything they want, they go to places they dream of, and so far. That is very different from what my parents said. That is why I call it a unique thing as “Simplicity”. This the only thing is genuinely true. I always put it in my mind. From that only sentence, I learn a thousand things. Do not be arrogant or proud, stay modest, be honest, and so on which is important to live my life.
Cultural identity affects my communication with others from mainstream culture. I often meet and have communication with people who have mainstream culture, for me, it is easier to point out my opinion. They directly know what I am saying. They catch it rapidly. When they point out their opinion, I also catch it easily.
I ever lived in Cikarang, Bekasi, West Java. I think in that time, I was influenced by West Java’s culture which is quite diverse and different with mine. It is not that different, but a little bit different. The long I lived there, the more its culture influenced me. At the first beginning I lived there, it was not really seen. I also ever traveled to other cities in Indonesia, such as Bandung, Jakarta, Tasikmalaya, and others which most of them are in West Java. Although almost people in those cities speak Bahasa Sunda, they are different. For instance, people in Cikarang speak Bahasa Sunda Kasar, but Tasikmalaya’s people speak Bahasa Sunda Alus.
Religious beliefs guide my behavior. My parents say that we have to take the first priority in religious beliefs. All things in this world are related to religious beliefs, if we believe it. I struggle to adjust my clothing with the rules in my religion. I do the same thing with my behavior. I don’t want to out of the rules. For example, hijab. I have been trying to keep my hijab until the end of my life. That is one of the religious beliefs that I keep in my mind. It is an obligation in my religion, so I try to obey.
In
my daily life, I belong to a subgroup. It is called community. I joined that
since June 2018, it means I
recently joined the group. The group is a community engaged in theater, music, and film. Personally, it is a little
bit different from other types of communities. The
different thing is the three fields
(theater, music, and film) are
packaged in Islamic nuances, and that made me decide to join.
In this community, people come from various regions in
Indonesia. West Java, Ambon, Central Java, and others. I find
a different culture. I can learn to appreciate different cultures, languages,
habits. I learned many things, not only about the theater, music, and film. I learn how to appreciate differences, tolerance, learn to divide time, how to
establish communication, build relationships, cooperate in a team, and so on. For
me, it is not that easy, it takes time, too.
