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Sons of the Dragon
Flying Dragon: The figurehead of the Ratu Panji Sakti kite rests amid her sacred fabrics
Flying Dragon: The figurehead of the Ratu Panji Sakti kite rests amid her sacred fabrics. The giant kite was made in 1954.
For more than half a century the great dragon kite, Ratu Panji Sakti, has watched over a village in Bali and is believed to bring luck to the village.
Community members of the Sanur hamlet of Dangin Peken come to pray for health, wealth and answers to their problems; some come praying for children. The sacred dragon queen kite, Ratu Panji Sakti, was crafted of gold leaf, jewels, cotton and bamboo in 1954 and granted to the village by a priest.
Kadek Suprapta has honored Panji all his life and now at 38 years of age he heads up the village kite arts office. 'My cousin was born because of Panji. My uncle prayed to the dragon kite for a child, so he was born of the kite,' says Suprapta.
He stresses that while there is no scientific evidence, his community also trusts the kite to improve soil fertility and enhance crop growth for farmers.
'That's what we believe, that soils become more fertile when Panji flies. It's logic because the kite season is in the dry season. We plant watermelons and nuts. The soil is so dry it is cracked open. Maybe the sound of the kite enters the cracked soil ' there is no science ' but for sure we can harvest good watermelons,' says Suprapta of the kite that has a 5.5-meter wingspan and a 105-meter tail. The head or mask of the janggan (great kite) is of a green, heavily jeweled dragon's head.
Panji's song of the wind is formed by the guwangan (bullroarer) made from finely sliced rattan.
'The kite's sound is divided into female and male notes. Female sounds are the top notes and the male the bass. The bullroarer is made from rattan and very few people have the skills to create these. At night the sound is really loud. I like to take my small kites into rice fields or the beach at night. In the silence the roar of the kites is amazing,' says Suprapta, who, like many of the young men of his village is a kite maker.
Hanging from the ceiling of the community hall is Naga Banda, a giant male dragon kite with a wing span of 8.5 meters and a 200-meter-long tail. Naga Bandar weighs in at 500 kilograms and like the other giant kites of Dangin Peken, the dragon demands great expertise to launch into the winds. Raising 500 kilograms into the skies without an engine defies gravity and is a moment of pure magic.
'Our kites take off like a 747 airplane, especially Naga Banda, who needs a wind speed of at least 16 knots,' says Suprapta adding it takes 20 men to hold the 700-meter long ropes that are the dragon's only tether to the Earth.
When rare accidents occur and these great dragons crash to earth, the kite men of Danginpeken are shocked, appalled that their mistake in flying has brought harm to the sacred dragons they believe are alive with spirit.
'A couple of years ago I was in command of 500 men, all experts in kite flying. But the wind changed suddenly and Ratu Panji Sakti lost two teeth. People fell into trances and were sobbing. Incredibly, a young guy came to our village and returned Panji's teeth that he had found. He said every night a dragon chased him through his dreams, telling him to return her teeth to our village. We do believe she has a spirit,' says Suprapta.
Being born into a world that ties the heavens to the Earth with kites has led Suprapta and others in his community to not only build majestic kites, but also to push the design and aerodynamic potentials of the kites. In this they are supported by the village head who created a special arts department for kites, alongside Balinese gamelan and Balinese dance.
'The head of our village has the vision to preserve culture through children and for the kites to be seen as an art form. That is unique to our village and we have been preserving the sacred Ratu Panji Sakti kite since 1954,' says Suprapta who, with his uncle, has developed a knock-down kite system, allowing these massive flying dragons to be transported easily.
'In the old days we could walk the kites to the rice fields of the beach, but now with the traffic we needed a solution, so we have knock-down kites that can be transported by motorbike if needed,' says Suprapta who learned kite making from his father and grandfather before him.
The term 'knock-down' belies the artistry and precision demanded in kite production. Every notch must align perfectly and every part of the kite must be balanced, right down to using the same length of bamboo for each side of the kite. 'If different bamboo poles are used the strength and weight will not be identical and so the kite will be lopsided,' says Suprapta of the bamboo that is split and laminated to form the kite's ribs.
A passion for kites has spawned a small industry in Dangin Peken. Several young men add to their income through kite making, such as Esa Wiraditya. 'I have been involved in kites since primary school. There is magic when the kites take off. I help making the big kites and one day I hope to be a fulltime kite maker,'
For Made Aditiya Prayudi, it is the sacred element of kite flying that attracts him. 'Since I was a small child I have wanted to fly these. The spirit of Ratu Panji Sakti makes my hair stand on end. Her spirit is very strong,'
For Wayan Bayu Antara, it is the technology within these giant kites that is bewitching. 'Kites are very difficult to make. They need a lot of skill for balance, for the aerodynamics. Every time these big kites take off, it's very beautiful and I still feel, 'Wow!' Takeoff is like magic,'
Opening on Aug. 28 is the Sanur International Kite Festival at Mertasari Beach in Sanur. Kite enthusiasts from many countries including Japan, New Zealand, China, France and Malaysia will fly their kites, followed on Saturday and Sunday by the Traditional Kite Festival.
' Photos by J.B. Djwan
