Reflection and feedback
Making connections
Borobudur
Garuda
Gunung api
Monas
Oranghutan
Wayang kulit
Making
connections:
You might like to
generate reflection on the following:
Is it possible to create a set of criteria for choosing
cultural icons?
For example, should all of the icons be tourist attractions, or
old, or based in major cities? Do the Indonesian cultural icons
featured in Pintu Indonesia have anything common to all of them?
Can a list of cultural icons reflect what is important to all
Indonesians / Australians? Why, why not?
If you were asked to suggest some Indonesian cultural icons, would
you have chosen any of these? Why / why not?
What other icons would you have chosen as representing Indonesia?
What is your own culture? Think about your family, your
background, the place where you were born or grew up, the language
you speak, your religion, beliefs or values.
What icons could you choose to reflect your personal culture?
Are any of your icons the same as those chosen by others in your
class? Which ones are different? Why might people choose different
icons?
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Borobudur - Places of worship/sacred
places
Bahasa Indonesia has several words meaning temple:
- candi = Hindu and Buddhist temples
- kuil/puri = Balinese temple
- kelenteng = Chinese temple
- gereja = church (This word came to Bahasa Indonesia
from the Portugese language.)
- mesjid = mosque (This word came to Bahasa Indonesia
from the Arabic language.)
What can these Indonesian words tell us about
Indonesian culture?
How many words can you think of in English for places of
worship/sacred places for various religions / cultural groups?
What can these words tell us about ‘Australian’ culture?
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Garuda -
National symbol / Coat of Arms
A country's 'Coat of Arms' is a shield or crest which features symbols
that represent important things for that country. The Indonesian Coat of
Arms features many symbols explained in Pintu Indonesia. The
number five seems to be a special number in Indonesian culture.
The word 'panca' comes from the Sanskrit language, meaning the five
fingers of the hand, or anything to do with five. See Garuda focus
sheet (in Word or PDF)
for some exploration of how this is reflected in Bahasa Indonesia.
Ask students to recount and reflect on the symbolism of both the
Indonesian and Australian Coat of Arms:
What is the purpose of a national coat of arms?
What symbols feature on the Indonesian coat of arms?
Are students aware of the Australian coat of arms and the symbols that
it contains? (For example, according to one site the kangaroo and the emu,
unique Australian animals that feature on the Coat of Arms, are unable
to walk backwards and so symbolise Australia as a fast-moving,
forward-thinking nation! From
www.international.adelaide.edu.au/future/living/intro.html)
Why do you think that numbers might be symbolic to different
cultures?
Are there any numbers that are symbolic in Australian culture? (For
example, the number three is sometimes said to be significant for
Christian religion - the Holy Trinity, three wise men and so on.)
Remind students that there is no definitive answer to
these questions. They are designed to generate discussion and to
encourage us to think about our own and others' cultures and languages,
as well as the link between language and culture.
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Gunung
api - How might the geography
of a place affect its culture?
Discuss with students the following questions. Explain
to them that there is no right or wrong answer to these questions. They
are designed to generate ideas and discussion.
Some of the questions could be followed up with research.
How could living near volcanoes benefit Indonesians?
How could living near volcanoes be a disadvantage?
How might volcanoes affect the Indonesian culture / way of
life / ceremonies?
How have volcanoes created / changed the Indonesian landscape?
How might volcanoes have shaped Indonesian history?
What changes could happen in the future as a result of volcanic activity
in Indonesia?
Many Indonesian myths and legends are written about the significance of
volcanoes, mountains and other geographical features. Have students look
through books of Indonesian myths and legends, locate a relevant story
and read it to the class for discussion.
Ask students:
How might the Australian landscape influence our culture / way of life?
Do you know of any Australian stories, poems, films or Aboriginal
Dreamings that strongly represent the Australian landscape?
Some suggestions could be Dorothea McKellar’s poem I Love a Sunburnt
Country; the film and book Rabbit Proof Fence; Colin Thiele’s
Storm Boy, and any one of the many Aboriginal Dreamings that
explain the origin or significance of geographical features in our
landscape.
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Monas
- Constructed symbols of
national pride
National icons
Discuss with students the role of Monas and other constructed
nationalist sites.
Monas (Monumen nasional or National Monument) is only one of many
monuments and statues across Indonesia that were commissioned by
President Sukarno in the era after independence. Sukarno was keen to
‘modernise’ the new nation of Indonesia and give it the appearance of
other more developed nations and capital cities. He wanted also to
generate national pride and some of the statues recognised past heroes
in order to achieve this.
Monas however symbolised (among other things) the wealth and fertility
of the growing nation. For some though, the expense of the monument
symbolised Sukarno’s trend to spend large amounts of money on projects
which made him look important, instead of concentrating on lessening the
poverty within the nation.
Discuss with students their ideas on the importance or otherwise of
architectural structures such as monuments, buildings and bridges to a
nation.
What famous architectural constructions can they think of that
symbolise a country?
What role do those buildings / sites play?
Do they know the history or meaning of any of them? eg Statue of
Liberty, Eiffel Tower, Tower of London, etcetera.
What famous architectural icons does Australia have?
Do we need more? Why? Where should they be built? What could it be? Does
it need to be ‘useful’ or just innovative and interesting?
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Oranghutan - Language about animals
Bahasa Indonesia has some words that are used especially with animals
and not for humans. Contoh:
- betina is female for animals
- jantan is male for animals
- induk is mother or parent (mostly for
animals)
- bulu is animal hair, feathers, fur (rambut
is the word for human hair)
- animals 'mati' (to die), but meninggal
is 'to die' for people.
Attitudes to animals vary from culture to culture.
Discuss questions such as:
What might the above words tell us about Indonesian
culture?
Are you aware of any other Indonesian attitudes towards animals?
How do you feel about snakes or rats as pets?
How would you feel about eating rabbit, goat, guinea pig, kangaroo,
crocodile or dog?
Why are some animals considered to be food and others pets?
Remind students that there is no definitive answer to these questions.
They are designed to generate discussion and to encourage us to think
about cultures and languages other than our own, as well as the link
between language and culture.
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Wayang
kulit - Traditional art forms telling a
story
Talk with students about the modern role of Wayang kulit in
Indonesian society. Wayang kulit is still very popular in Indonesia
today. The performances don’t just repeat the ancient sagas over and
over again. Each dalang gives his own personal touch to the original
stories, as well as adding current political comment or local
humour. Wayang performances can be seen as melodrama or soap
operas, since most Indonesians know the main characters and their
personalities and enjoy the interplay between them.
In this way the tradition of Wayang kulit continues but remains
fresh and relevant to current audiences.
As Ketut mentions in the Wayang kulit display in Pameran, his
older brother had a wayang performance as entertainment at his
wedding. Although it may be expensive to hire a dalang and
accompanying gamelan orchestra, Wayang can be used to mark private
social occasions as well as to celebrate significant community
events.
Ask students to think about the following:
Here in Australia, do we have any tradition of
theatre / performing arts which plays a similar role to wayang in
Indonesia?
How do we pass on traditions, values and culture in Australia?
What role do performing arts have in Australia?
What forums do we have in Australia for making humorous political or
social comment?
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