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Petrus Lengkong: A LONG, happy life through art
(Emanuel Dapa Loka)At 72, the father of five and grandfather of six feels no strain when he dances for various ceremonies
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(Emanuel Dapa Loka) (Emanuel Dapa Loka)
(Emanuel Dapa Loka)
At 72, the father of five and grandfather of six feels no strain when he dances for various ceremonies.
His traditional clothes, made from cotton and bark, are adorned with colorful motifs typical of Kalimantan. As he has no room to store or display his garb, the costumes are left at hotels or galleries for sale.
The weather was hot at noon one day late last month in Bengkayang, West Kalimantan, prompting Petrus to go shirtless as he cut bark to make traditional outfits from Kalimantan ordered by the organizers of a local Koran-reading contest.
Around his neck was a string of beads made from gemstones and animal bones, the biggest being a monkey skull. 'It's the biggest monkey skull here,' Petrus said.
There are more than 200 separate subgroups of the Dayak people, who themselves number upwards of 20 million, according to some sources, on the island of Kalimantan, which spans Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei.
While many have converted to Christianity ' and some to Islam ' the influence of indigenous animist beliefs is still strong among contemporary Dayak people.
In the world of the arts on Kalimantan, however, Petrus is famous as a proponent in Dayak culture.
His interest in all things traditional was apparent as a 13-year-old, when Petrus danced and sang at traditional parties.
Today, he often serves as a penyanghatn, or ritual leader, for Dayak welcoming rituals to ward off evil for those who visit Kalimantan.
When the nation called in the 1960s, Petrus enlisted, channeling his artistic talent into painting or drawings to dispel the boredom that is part of every soldier's life. In the barracks or on the battlefield, Petrus remained an artist.
He was so fond of drawing that he sketched with a pencil and paper while watching out for enemies during three deployments to the then-province of East Timor, now Timor Leste. 'I drew whatever I could, like the expressions of friends or foes. I finished them only after getting back to the barracks,' Petrus adds.
Only when he retired from the Army as a master corporal in 1996 did he begin to immerse himself in the arts, Petrus says. 'While I feel I'm an artist, I also have to earn a living from arts.' He laughs, revealing a smile comprising a single tooth.
He survives by dancing, painting and carving. 'It depends on whether we want to live a luxurious or a happy life. I choose to be happy through arts. Surpluses or shortages are relative.'
Petrus creates Kalimantan-style paintings and carvings based on traditional motifs, supplemented by his own improvised patterns that riff on ethnic designs.
'l always make sure that my works remain grounded in Dayak culture and philosophy, despite the diverse improvisations,' Petrus says.
Despite a host of original designs to his name, he says he turns town offers to register the works as his intellectual property. 'The more they are imitated especially by youths, the better. Products of our culture should be imitated as much as possible so as to be enjoyed by an increasing number of people, rather than lost.'
On dancing, Petrus said he had learned a lot from nature. He choreographed the dances he often performs on stage after watching birds, squirrels and other animals in the forest while they were fighting, mating or feeding their young.
The same is true of his paintings and carvings. 'We don't need to seek inspiration too far away,' Petrus says. 'Nature has everything at our disposal. I've always said, never harm nature. Whatever we need, nature can offer.'
As a senior artist, Petrus has often appeared in Jakarta as well as abroad, in France, Germany, Holland, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Thailand.
While he describes his income as enough, Petrus is also aware that the traditional arts won't make anyone rich. 'I realize it but I've got to go on because I love this culture. I can still survive with arts.'
Neither does he look for external help nor resort to the usual targets when discussing the state of the arts. 'The government is not to blame. They must be handling much more important issues, so just let them take care of the major affairs. I'm also carrying on my activity of arts for the sake of love and survival.'
Petrus has gathered dozens of citations for his artistic achievements, all of which serve as evidence for his descendants of his work to preserve and introduce Dayak culture to other nations.
He also received awards from the governor of West Kalimantan and the tourism and creative economy minister.
Petrus is proud to be a Dayak, citing Dayak hospitality as a source of pride. 'The Dayaks used to give their visitors some food when they went home. We don't want to see our guests go hungry on their return. The Dayaks are very kind and have a high sense of solidarity. After hunting, the animals caught would be shared by village residents, so there were no rich and poor people in the past.'
Such wisdom is what Petrus has always strived to present in his works. 'Frankly, I'm worried about present-day people who are ignorant of their cultural roots.'
