Ladrang remodelled?

[A. G. Maisey]

Post 34 --- all true Gustav, the name used in Jogja for a ladrangan wrongko is branggah, it has a different name in Bali, & a different name in Madura, the forms are all marginally different, but whatever name we use, it is the formal wrongko no matter where it is found.

That Post 25 "branggah" never was a branggah, it was made as a bancihan.

Post 35 In respect of the little panel of embossing that we sometimes find at the foot of the reverse face of a pendok, this could be an idea worth pursuing. In Jawa/Bali iconography the Makara is often paired with the Kala head, both act as guardians, the Makara is symbolic of lust, the wrongko is female in character.

The Kala sometimes appears on the front of a wrongko atasan, either as a topengan (mask) or as an integral carving.

Yeah, it sounds to me like a good idea, but good ideas cannot stand alone. At this remove I don't know how this idea might be able to be supported

[Pendita65]

Mr. Maisey and Gustav,

thank you for this in depth philosophy of altering Ladrang, It is interesting to read all the possibillities and the sheer amount of knowledge is shared on a quistion i asked. There is a lot to learn for me, and thank you all for the time you put in trying to give some insight and answers.

I learn each day a bit more, and i appreciate how the knowledge is shared here on the forum.
thank you all.

Martin

[Gustav]

Alan, one last question regarding post #32.

is Javanese Bancihan form equivalent to Balinese Jamprahan? Just because Lalu Djelengga and Pande Suteja Neka calls this form "Jamprahan, also Bancihan".

[A. G. Maisey]

I cannot give a definitive response to this question Gustav.

See below:-

Javanese -- jamprah -- long & luxuriant
banci -- an effeminate man, an asexual person

Balinese -- jamprah -- long, trailing, luxuriant
bancih -- an hermaphrodite

Indonesian -- jamprah -- not found
banci -- effeminate, transvestite, homosexual, powerless,
hermaphrodite, as well as two other unrelated
meanings

Old Javanese -- banci, bancih, bhanci -- not found
jamprah -- not found

Neither "banci" nor "jamprah" appear in Malay, Wilkinson gives "banchi" as Javanese with the meaning of "hermaphrodite".

The dominant Balinese name of "jamprahan" is appropriate to the form.

To my knowledge "jamprah" is not used for this form in Central Jawa, it could be used in other places in Jawa.

For me, the sticking point is that I cannot find either word in Old Javanese or Kawi, & I would have expected at least "jamprah" in Old Javanese.

We know that some people do not use the word "banci" or "bancih" to refer to this wrongko form, but rather, they avoid the issue by using "bancean/bincihan", I do not know, cannot find, either of these spellings in any related language.

However, the crux of the matter is this:-

what is the place & purpose, or more correctly, what was the place & purpose of this form in Bali & in Jawa?

We know that in Bali the jamprahan form was the prerogative of religious leaders.

We know that in Jawa the bancihan wrongko forms are used by dalangs, ie the wayang puppet masters.

We know that some anthropologists have placed the wayang as the foundation stone of Javanese religious philosophy & the director of Javanese social mores.

I personally do not see the bancihan/jemprahan form as being equivalent in societal terms in Jawa & Bali, I see it rather as a marker that identifies a leader in the field of applied social philosophy.

Equally, I see the term "bancihan" as colloquial misuse, probably generated by Islamic societal influence, and the word "jamprahan" as an appropriate descriptive name.

[A. G. Maisey]

Incidentally, the mention of the respected name of Pande Wayan Suteja Neka has prompted me to make mention of something.

I think we all know about the Keris display at the Neka Museum in Ubud. Well, I was there last week and i found that this display has now been expanded into the other side of the first floor space.

This new addition contains only old keris, all in Balinese dress. The various keris blades identified as Balinese is quite an education.

For those who do not yet know, Pande Neka is a very successful art dealer, museum owner, and promoter of Balinese culture --- amongst other things --- and a highly respected member of the Ubud art coterie.

His new addition is well worth a visit, the more you think you might know, the more you will be amazed.

[Gustav]

Alan, thank you.

[A. G. Maisey]

This thread began with a question on restoration/repair of a ladrang /ladrangan wrongko, so I thought it might be of interest if we considered the name of this type of wrongko.

The name "ladrang" or "ladrangan" (ie, "like a ladrang") was not just plucked out of thin air and stuck on the formal Javanese wrongko style, it has a relationship to something else, that something else is gamelan music. Gamelan is the traditional music form of Javanese, Balinese & Sundanese people.

In gamelan music the word "ladrang" refers to a number of beats (32) that are played between the strikes of the biggest gong (gong ageng) which sets the rhythmic structure of a composition. Ladrang can be used in any melody tempo except for one.

The ladrang in gamelan music is integral to the rhythm of a composition, the rhythm of a composition conveys the feeling of the composition.

The ladrangan wrongko is worn at formal & official occasions, & its universal use for dress at that occasion conveys the feeling attached to the occasion, thus the ladrangan wrongko serves the same purpose in a social context as does the ladrang in gamelan music, ergo, it is "like a ladrang" = "ladrangan".


I'm not a real big fan of gamelan music, some I rather like, some I do not like --- which is about what applies with my taste in western music too, as they say, "there are only two types of music, good music & bad music, & each of us decides which is which". What I have just related above is apparently gamelan 101.


Gayaman wrongko.

While we're at it, we might as well look at the other major type of Javanese wrongko too, the gayaman.

The word "gayaman" means "like a gayam".

The gayam tree is a shade tree in Jawa that has small edible fruit, best way to eat this fruit is to make chips of it and fry it.

Anyway, the gayaman wrongko supposedly looks like a gayam fruit, which I guess it does with only a little bit of imagination.