Catching Dew in Pitu Village

Catching dew, attracting tourists.

Chatching Dew In Kampung Pitu

Dew Catcher 1 -

Syefri Luwis

Ademe Gunung Merapi Purba [Merapi ancient volcano is so cold] Melu krungu suaramu ngomongke apa [I could hear what you’re saying] Ademe Gunung Merapi Purba [Merapi ancient volcano is so cold] Sing nang Nglanggeran Wonosari Yogyakarta [It’s the one in Nglanggeran Wonosari Yogyakarta]

We were humming part of the lyrics of “Banyu Langit”, a great song compossed by Didi Kempot, along the way to Kampung Pitu in Nglanggeran Village, Gunung Kidul, Yogyakarta Special Region, not far from the “Gunung Merapi Purba” ecotourism area. If you want to go to Kampung Pitu, the ancient volcano can be a benchmark. The mountain, which was once active around 20-60 million years ago, is in the form of giant andesite rock, stretching wide about 800 metres with a height of 300 meters.

We sang the song along on mobile phones, looking for a signal that suddenly disappeared and reappeared again. If we hadn’t kept in contact with Pak Aan, a community leader in Kampung Pitu, we would have gotten lost so many times. After passing through narrow, uneven roads, we continued to climb to a height of more than 1,000 metres above sea level.

We finally arrived after Pak Aan picked us up at a crossroads in a neighbouring village. Kampung Pitu is a name of RT (Rukun Tetangga) --smallest organisation of goverment administrative system-- namely RT 19 Nglanggeran Village, which indeed only contains seven heads of families (KK). If a new family is created through marriage and registers a new KK, the KK of the parents is then revoked and the child joins as the head of the family, including their unmarried younger siblings. There are also many residents of Kampung Pitu who, after getting married, move away from the village.

“There are also those who later died, and then their KK was changed in the name of their children. Anyway, naturally, it just happens, there have always been only seven families in this village, with a population of 30-40 people,” explained Aan.

Dew Catcher 2 -

Syefri Luwis

Documenting the Dew Catcher.

The caretaker of the Guyangan Lake in Kampung Pitu, Yatnorejo (75) told us a bit of the history of Pitu Village, especially regarding the kinah gadhung wulung tree, which is considered sacred because the fallen leaves are never seen by local residents but, they believe, the leaves “fly” to the Yogyakarta Kraton area. There used to be five trees, and the locals named them after the Javanese days, namely pon, wage, kliwon, legi, and pahing. Mbah Yatno quoted a story told by a village elder, the late Mbah Redjodimuljo. Now, kinah gadhung wulung no longer exists, it just disappears into its roots, without anyone knowing about it.

Mbah Yatno and Aan also recounted the genealogy of Iro Dikromo who is believed to be the one who “created the village” or who first came to the village and became the forerunner of the existence of Pitu Village. In short, from the time of Iro Dikromo to the next generation, the number of families in Kampung Pitu has always been just seven. This is in accordance with empu pitu, the symbol of pitung pusering jagad (seven navels of the universe).

Difficult Economy

A resident of Kampung Pitu recounted how it was in 1978, when he first came, as quoted in the book “Komunitas Kampung Pitu Gunung Kidul” [The Community of Kampung Pitu Gunung Kidul] by Bambang H Suta Purwana, Theresiana Ani Larasati, and Ambar Adrianto (BNPB DIY, 2019). At that time, the name of the village was still Telaga Guyangan Dusun Nglanggeran Wetan, because Kampung Pitu was only “officially” used in 2015 after winning the traditional community competition in Semarang.

“I came here when the economic situation was difficult, the road was only footpath. The main income came from farming cassava, rice, corn, and guava. The problem was that the harvest was difficult to sell because everything had to go through the narrow footpath. To sell it to the market, we carried the harvest on our shoulders or our head. We would depart at 01.00 in the morning and when we reached the Piyungan market the day would already be brightly lit. 12 guavas were sold for five rupiahs. We also sold wood, charcoal, all of which were hand-carried to the market. The daily food was tiwul or rice. We only started to prosper here when

A house of one of the residents of Pitu Village - Syefri Luwis Foto : The oldest house in Pitu Village. It’s now left empty after the owner passed away (Syefri Luwis)

electricity came in 1997. Even then we had to use a cable extension that was 700 metres long. It was only in 2001 that cars could enter.”

How difficult it was to live in a remote area in this republic, which was extraordinarily underdeveloped compared to big cities. In 1997, when the New Order regime had been in power for 30 years, development was far from evenly distributed, electricity was still hard to come by. Let alone in eastern Indonesia, in Yogyakarta which is a major city in the centre of Java, it was still difficult to get state facilities.

Self-sufficiency

If they didn’t use their brains, are self-sufficient, how can the people of Kampung Pitu survive? Nglanggeran Village in general is increasingly classified as developed, mainly because of the ancient volcano tourism. However, Kampung Pitu, a small part (only one RT) of the village, is not that developed.

Until ten years ago (Djoko Purwanggono, 2011), 70 per cent of the population of Nglanggran Village still owned a wood charcoal making business. The wood was taken from community forests, which were part of a 1962 reforestation project to combat erosion. There are also various types of guavas (Anacardium accidentale) and melanding (Acacia glauca) vegetations there.

In 1965-1967 the government provided seeds of the acacia plant (Acacia auriculiformis). Residents also independently plant sono trees (Dalbergia latifoila), teak trees (Tectona grandis), and mahogany

Foto : Pitu Village’s Pendopo (Syefri Luwis)

(Swietenia mahogany) which have a relatively long growth period.

“Until now, most of the livelihoods of the residents of Pitu Village and Nglanggeran Village are in general, yes, farmers. The harvests are to meet their own needs and are sold as well,” said Aan, who is active as a tourism manager at the “Gunung Merapi Purba” Community Secretariat.

Mbah Yantno Rejo, a village elder Syefri Luwis

In addition to relying on rice fields and farms to live and support their families, the residents of Kampung Pitu and Nglanggeran Village, in general, are smarter in utilising the potential of nature tourism and ecotourism to attract guests to come to the village. The ancient volcano is increasingly recognised, and various researches on traditions and tourism are carried out, including by the DIY Cultural Values Preservation Center. The mass media has also been spreading more and more news about Kampung Pitu. Some of the spots visited by tourists besides the Gunung Merapi Purba are Telaga Guyangan and the horse footprints near the lake which are believed to be the tracks of the sembrani horse, the ride of the angels.

“Now, more and more people come, even from outside the city, from Bali for example, just to wash their faces at Guyangan Lake. So, we developed another thing, namely orchid cultivation,” said Aan. Now, according to a survey by the Orchid Conservation Park, 21 species of orchids can be found here.

Dew Catcher

The government through the Directorate General of Culture of the Ministry of Education and Culture in 2020 provided facilitation for artists to remain empowered during the Covid-19 pandemic. One of the artists who had the opportunity to create useful works was Rudi Hendriatno, an artist who graduated from the Craft Department, Faculty of Fine Arts and Design, the Indonesian Arts Institute of Yogyakarta.

The artist from Padang who was born in 1980 made creative installations pieces that not only boast artistic elements but also have practical benefits. The expertise of the owner of Studio_211 Yogyakarta is craft art, so his idea would be very fitting to be applied in Kampung Pitu. What’s

this idea? Dew catcher installation.

When presented with an offer to create useful and moving works of art, Rudi didn’t think about it too long. He was already used to experimenting with installation works. “Artistic and useful. I immediately thought of remote locations, for example when a village finds it difficult to procure water, what can I do as an artist? Then I thought of a dew catcher installation,” said Rudi in Pitu Village.

The function of the tool is to catch the water that is “trapped” in the morning dew, then flow it down through a hose to the bottom where the water is contained in a large bucket. For the dew to be captured, the height of the installation must be more than 2,000 metres above sea level. “So, the natural function of the tree is transcended to the installation, it becomes a kind of water bank. My job is how to make this installation artful, and not carelessly,” explained Rudi.

The materials needed include galvanised pipes of various sizes, strip plates, paint, nylon nets, wires, and lights. It took only 45 days to complete the installation, from the site survey, consultation with water and weather experts, to the building execution of the installation. It is appropriate to hand over the work to Rudi, who in 2013 won the Indonesian Art Award and whose works have been exhibited in various galleries in Indonesia and abroad. His skills in processing wood into contemporary works of art have received public recognition. “I chose wood because it makes us close to nature. Wood is also part of everyday life,” he said.

Now the Kampung Pitu, Nglanggeran Village, is increasingly cultured. Residents build their own village to be empowered

(Jessika Nadya Ogesveltry and Susi Ivvaty).

Pitu Village’s oldest cemetery Syefri Luwis