Ancient Indonesian archery finds mark in modern world
After decades of decline, a revival in the sport is underway
Sitting cross-legged, 68-year-old Supadmi fires an arrow across a field into a small stick target and sets a bell ringing, taking the lead in the game — an ancient form of Indonesian archery.
She was among sportsmen and women in colorful headdresses and sarongs who sent hundreds of arrows flying through the sky in unison at a recent tournament, in a festive atmosphere with blaring trumpets and tinkling percussion music.
This local archery known as “jemparingan” has been played for centuries around the ancient kingdom of Yogyakarta, Java island’s cultural heartland where Buddhist and Hindu temples sit amid bottle-green paddyfields.
After decades of decline, a revival is underway as a new generation of enthusiasts pick up bows and arrows for the first time, and elderly archers seek to pass their skills down to youngsters before they are lost forever.
“This sport is training for our character because we need to attain inner peace before we fire off the arrows,” said 68-year-old Supadmi, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, explaining how the spiritual, ancient sport is seen as a workout for the soul as much as the body.
But the popularity of jemparingan itself has been waning — it almost disappeared entirely in the 1990s after the death of one of its biggest backers, a Javanese noble man named Duke Paku Alam VIII.
Now there are signs that its fortunes may be picking up again. A large number of archers, 140, took part at the recent Yogyakarta tournament, which was also attend by legions of spectators.
At the palace of the sultan in Yogyakarta, a new jemparingan group was formed two years ago that plays in the original royal style and usually meets every week.
In 2012, a new club was set up by archers in the city and nearby Solo, and the government has begun allocating funds to support the rejuvenation.
“The young generation is now our main target and the message we want to get across is that archery is a cool sport,” said Agung Sumedi from Langenastro jemparingan club, which recently began training children under 10 years old.
Still, sparking a mass revival will be an uphill battle.
As recently as the 1990s, every region around Yogyakarta had its own jemparingan tournament, and competitive play would culminate every year with a major competition at a palace to win the Duke’s cup, according to veteran local archer Rahmat Sulistyawan.
He still holds the cup he won in the last such major regional tournament in 2000, when he was just 15, and other local athletes lament that many veteran players long ago abandoned jemparingan.
This sport is training for our character ... we need to attain inner peace before we fire off the arrows” Supadmi, a 68-year-old archer