On Wednesday, November 22, the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM held a book review event named “Bedah Buku: Arung Samudera Nusantara dan Kosmopolis Rempah” in Room 709 of the Soegondo Building. This event is one of a series of the Seminar Series Kosmopolis Rempah, as the result of collaboration between the faculty along with Kundha Budaya DIY and the Tim Kosmopolis Rempah UGM.

This event was attended by Dr. Sri Margana, M. Hum. as a speaker and book author. Apart from that, there were three responders with different scientific backgrounds, namely Dr. Widya Fitria Ningsih, History lecturer at FIB UGM; Prof. Dr. M. Baiquni, M.A., Professor of Development Geography UGM; and Prof. Dr. Ir. Sri Gardjito, Spice Expert, Faculty of Agricultural Technology, UGM. There was also Prof. Dr. Mustofa, M.Kes., Professor of Pharmacology and Therapy FKKMK UGM and Head of the Tim Kosmopolis Rempah UGM, as the moderator.

Sri Margana started the event by explaining the background to the writing and substance of her book. He said that his book is a response to an application of “Jalur Rempah” as a world heritage by the Indonesian government and the establishment of the Spice Cosmopolis Research Unit at UGM. According to him, the term Jalur Rempah is problematic because it refers to a colonial trade route marked only by physical colonial remains, such as forts and ports. Starting from this issue, he proposed to highlight the influence of spices themselves, namely the creation of a culture of using spices. Therefore, he uses the term “cosmopolis” because the culture of spices has spread throughout the world. He also proposed the word “cosmopolis” to name the UGM Spice Cosmopolis Research Unit.

Widya as the first responder then highlighted this book from a historiographic perspective. According to her, the dominant use of foreign sources can be an opportunity for further studies to use local sources. By using local sources, local perspectives that are not recorded by foreign sources can be told. Apart from that, she also hopes that there will be further studies on spices in Indonesia from a gender perspective. According to her, the historiography on this matter is still dominated by narratives about men’s roles. In fact, spice culture cannot be separated from the role of women, such as in trading, planting and processing spices.

After that, the presentation was continued by Prof. Baiquni, emphasizing the strong connection between history and geography. From the spice trade, humans have established relationships with their environment. The role of spices in human life cannot be completely replaced by current technology. Therefore, spices can be a reminder for people to preserve their environment.

Relations between people from different islands to continents were also established through the spice trade. This relationship then produces a cultural product, one of which is food. Prof. Sri Gardjito explained that spices and the sea as trade intermediaries greatly influenced our food today. From spices and the sea, there is intercultural interaction which results in a combination of processing techniques, ingredients, and even the taste of food. This is considered to be the impact of the cosmopolitan spice trade. One example of the results of the spice trade is black pepper chili sauce, which still exists today and the spices have not changed.

Yogyakarta, July 7th, 2023 – The Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, Universitas Gadjah Mada (FIB UGM) and National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Taiwan, collaborated to organize a Summer Program that was held from July 7th, 2023 to August 7th, 2023. Chung-Ching Shiung, Ph.D., a lecturer and archaeologist from National Cheng Kung University, mentored his students in conducting the Summer Program together with Dr. Mahirta, M.A., the Head of the Department of Archaeology at FIB UGM. The focus of the program was on analyzing pottery and other excavation findings from the result of a research project conducted in Tidore back in 2019.

The Summer Program also included visits to several Hindu-Buddhist temples in the Yogyakarta area and to a pottery and batik center in Bayat, Klaten.

The collaboration between NCKU and the FIB UGM Department of Archaeology, not only benefited the students in terms of analyzing the excavation research findings, but it also enriched their experiences through cultural and knowledge exchange. The involvement of international researchers brought a different perspective, expanding archaeology knowledge. This collaboration is in line with SDGs Goal 17, Partnerships for the Goals, which aims to strengthen international global partnerships, and Goal 4, Quality Education, which aims to promote opportunities for quality and sustainable education.

Photo 1: Analysis of excavation findings collaborating with UGM Students

Photo 2: Cultural learning on batik making in Bayat Village, Klaten

 

Research collaboration is encouraged by the Faculty of Cultural Sciences Universitas Gadjah Mada recently. One such research collaboration is a research project between the Department of Anthropology UGM and the Department of Cultural Anthropology Udayana, which took the topic of “Balinese Local Genius: Key to Stunting Reduction in Pedawa, Bali.”. This research was funded by the Faculty of Cultural Sciences UGM and is part of an implementation of SDG Goal 2: Zero Hunger.

The research was conducted by four researchers: Atik Triratnawati and Novitasari Ardianti from UGM, and Aliffiati and Azzahra Alivya Prasetio from Udayana University. The research was conducted in Pedawa Village, Buleleng, a Bali Aga village that maintains traditional lifestyles and parenting practices. The research was conducted in June, August, and September 2023.

The research findings showed that Balinese local genius, which is still strongly held by the Pedawa community, positively impacts the health of mothers and babies. This is evident in the community’s adherence to adat or the culture, such as following a series of birth ceremonies, using local ingredients as the main food source for toddlers, and the emergence of gender equality in the family. The success of stunting reduction in this village is also supported by modern medical services, including midwifery agencies, the success of the Family Planning program (Keluarga Berencana Program), and the strong empowerment of cadres. 

The current threat of a food crisis is being responded to by various parties. The development of alternative food such as the processing of konjac is being attempted by the Community Service Team of the Department of Anthropology. The team consists of Dr. Atik Triratnawati, M.A., Prof. Dr. Bambang Hudayana, M.A., Muhammad Zamzam Fauzanafi, M.A., along with two students named Eka Yuniati and Ferdy Azmal Fakhrani. This community service program is a continuation of the previous year’s program with the same theme, “Development of Konjac-based Culinary in Karangpatihan Village, Ponorogo Regency, East Java.” The continuation of the program took place in August 2023 in four hamlets: Krajan, Selodono, Dungus, and Jurugan.

Konjac, or in Indonesia is called porang, was chosen as an alternative food because it is a local Indonesian commodity which has great potential in the international market. For example, what has been done in Madiun, one kilogram of konjac can cost up to Rp. 14,000. One hectare of fertile land can produce around 80 tons of tubers for one harvest within two years. One of the most popular products made by konjac is shirataki rice, which has a high selling price. Konjac grows a lot in Ponorogo and there is one of the programs initiated by the Ponorogo Regional Government which aims to provide stimulants in the form of seeds and supporting the existence of a konjac farmer association. Other than that, Perhutani, which is a State-Owned Enterprise in the Form of Public Company which focuses on the task and authority to manage state forest resources, also provides access to farmers to plant konjac around perennial crops. Based on this fact, the community service team conducted training assistance in processing konjac-based food. In addition, a cooking competition was also held to motivate the locals to be more enthusiastic in creating innovations related to this food recipe. Then the activity was closed with a focus group discussion (FGD) to listen to the aspirations of women who joined the family welfare movement (PKK)  in the four hamlets, Karangpatihan Village, Pulung District, Ponorogo Regency. This program needs to be done because, until now, the society perceives that konjac can cause an itchy feeling. By implementing this community service program, the community will develop a new perspective that konjac has many benefits. Apart from that, we really hope that the dissemination of knowledge and skills can make konjac-based food into an alternative food in Ponorogo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image 1.1: Dawet porang: one of the konjac-based culinary that has been taught to the members of PKK in Karangpatihan Village, Pulung, Ponorogo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image 1.2: Various kinds of konjac-based culinary made by one of the groups who participated in the competition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Image 1.3: The winners of the development of a konjac-based culinary competition.

 

The research results of the Pakpak Bharat survey and excavation team through its important heritage of mejan (an ancient relic) have been disseminated to all stakeholders in Pakpak Bharat Regency, North Sumatra, on Monday, 18 December 2023 in Salak, Pakpak Bharat, North Sumatra. Mejan is an ancestral heritage of Pakpak Bharat in the form of statues that are special and unique because they are not found in other regions and therefore deserve to be a proud identity of the Pakpak Bharat community.

The research team coordinator, Dr Mimi Savitri, M.A. outlined the importance of knowledge of the past life of the Pakpak Bharat community related to the existence of mejan. According to her, mejan is a marker, centre, or source of Pakpak people’s life in the past, because the social, economic, cultural, ritual, and gender equality of Pakpak Bharat’s ancestors is known from the remaining mejan that exist up to this moment. One important thing in studying the lives of Pakpak Bharat’s ancestors through mejan is the fact that their ancestor always embracing peace as the upmost value. Peace is one of the most crucial factor on successful development of a nation, which happened to be the goal in SDG’S 16.

Regional Secretary of Pakpak Bharat, Jalan Berutu, S.Pd. M.M. who was present representing the Regent expressed his appreciation and gratitude to the Research Team from the Department of Archaeology, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM, because this collaboration is seen as a major step in the preservation of Pakpak Bharat Cultural Heritage. The cooperation between the two parties is an effort to achieve SDG’s 17 in the form of partnership to achieve goals. He also stated that this dissemination is important for determining the next development strategy of Pakpak Bharat in order to improve people’s welfare. This is in accordance with SDG’s 1 related to life without poverty and SDG’s 12 in the form of efforts to improve the quality of the environment in order to support the implementation of Development.