Interview with the leader of the Tengger people

Pak Tomo is the leader of the shaman group - also called dukun - in the Tengger area, consisting in 48 shamans. The first shaman leader was Pak Jai, Pak Tomo his father. He started the group in 1967 and died in 2003. As Pak Tomo was not yet ready to become the leader, Pak Mujono from the village Ngadas preside the group for about 10 years. After Pak Mujono died, it was unanymously decided that Pak Tomo had to become the leader of the shamans.

Bromo.co.id interviewed Pak Tomo in February 2015.

What is the job of the shaman?

The leader his job is to coordinate. Every six months there is a meeting in which the Kasada ceremony is discussed. Besides discussing the ceremonies, the shaman is also responsible for spiritual matters and guiding all the dukuns. Other related topics that are of interested to a dukun, are also uncovered and discussed.

Is the Kasada ceremony used to choose a new leader?

No. Kasada is a ceremony. If there is a candidate shaman who will have to do his exam, the graduation will be during the Kasada ceremony. This is convenient as we all get together.

What is the Kasada ceremony?

Kasada is the name of a month. According to our calender it is the 12th month. The ceremony is held with full moon. The ceremony can take one week or two weeks, that depends on several factors. It is a ceremony to say thanks to our gods. During the Kasada ceremony we spiritually offer a son to the fire of Mt. Bromo as we believe that everything originates from fire. The spiritual name for fire is Brahman. If we talk about Sang Hyang Brahma, it is not an actual being but it is an aspect of the universe, just as we are.

Who decides when the next Kasada ceremony will be held?

That will be me. But, that doesn't mean that other dukuns wouldn't be capable to decide. On the contrary, they should be capable to decide when the next Kaskade ceremony is to be held. Each dukun is also fully skilled to decide when ceremonies will be held in their village.

What are other special ceremonies held by the Tengger people, such as Karo?

In every village there is the Karo ceremony, for which I don't need to intervene. The Karo ceremony is a big celebration as well, almost as big as the Kasada ceremony. The difference is that we get together for the Kasada ceremony at one place.

We also have a ceremony called Entas Entas. It is better known as Ngaben ceremony. This ceremony is performed if somebody dies.

Is the dukun chosen democratically?

The seniors prepare candidates to become the next shaman. Before the current shaman informs that he can't fullfill his tasks any longer, he already appointed prospective shamans, who are trained to continue the work. These shamans will be tested.
In case the shaman suddenly has to quit work, then the village elders will meet and determine who is eligible to be nomintad as a shaman. If the shaman is still available, he will train the candidates.

Thus there will be a few candidate shaman and one of them will actually become the new shaman?

No. There will be only one candidate. Only if the village elders will have to chose then there will be more candidates. An example, if there are two candidates and both pass the test, they both could become the next shaman. We prefer this situation than ending up with no shaman in case the only candidate fails to pass the test. A shaman should than be "borrowed" from a neighboring village. According to the Tengger tribe it is better to not have a village head than not having a shaman.

What happens when the shaman resigns or dies?

If a shaman resigns or dies, then the next shaman will be a family member or someone who is considered able and willing to continue the shaman's tasks. Most often the tasks are passed on to a family member but that is not obligatory. The process of passing on the tasks to a relative is easiest.
In the 33 Tengger villages we have 48 shaman.

Are you a descendant of the Majapahit Kingdom?

Here it is. Tengger people are not descendants of the Majapahit Kingdom, but the Majapahit kings and queens are descendants of the Tengger people. When the Mojopahit kingdom fell, people fled to this area because here as well as in Bali they had family. Before the Majapahit Kingdom, this area and Bali were both already inhabited by Hindu people.

The Tengger tribe has a long history?

The first humans in Java were Tengger people, although their body was not yet perfect as it is today. Human live in Java origantes from this area, Tengger, many millions of years ago.

It is true that the Tenggerese embrace the Hindu religion?

At first it was a believe in God, there were no Hindus, Moslems, Christians, etc. Hinduism just came with the teachings of Syiwa Budha.

The oldest religion is Hindu?

Hinduism is not the oldest religion, but Shiva Buddhist teachings. It came from India. These teachings suite the Javanese culture best. It was not yet called Hinduism. Shiva Buddhist teachings developed according to the teachings of Syiwa and Budha. In Mataram, Lombok, you will find the original Syiwa Buddha teachings, where it was split into Shiva and Buddha teachings. When it reached East Java it was culturized in Watuganok with the first king Mpu Soppn. Hindu teachings Syiwa Buddha became mixed with the Javanese culture. This teachings developed over the years but it wasn't yet a religion. Even in the Majapahit era it still wasn't a religion, just spiritual teachings. Even when Islam entered the Majapahit Kingdom it still wasn't called a religion, it was defined as a believe. Traders from Gujarat in the Middle East brought Shiva Buddhist teachings to other regions. Just then, the spiritual Shiva Buddhist teaching were called a religion and was named Hinduism. Seen from the local spiritual ceremonies, Hinduism indeed was a match.

Interesting as this story differs from others?

I am not saying that the circulating stories are wrong, as it are just parts of the story. Storytellers might not have gotten the narration from a reliable source that represents the Tengger tribe.