Ondel-ondel: Once sacred, traditional puppets now synonymous with parades in Jakarta

JAKARTA: Under the blazing sun along the side of a road in a residential area of Central Jakarta, skilled craftsmen were hard at work to create giant puppets out of woven bamboo.

Known as ondel-ondel, these puppets are a symbol of the Betawi culture which is indigenous to Jakarta.

In the Pasar Gaplok area in Kramat Pulo, dozens of these ondel-ondel line the side of the road and in front of people’s homes.

The area – unofficially known as Kampung Ondel-Ondel – is considered the epicentre of this craft.

Once regarded as sacred, ondel-ondel are now mainly used in performances and are synonymous with parades held in the month of June to commemorate the founding of Jakarta.

The anniversary falls on June 22.

In the performances, the puppet is manoeuvred from the inside by a performer – typically a man due to its heavy weight - and accompanied by musical instruments. 

At the Mamit CS Betawi Studio in Kampung Ondel-Ondel, craftsman Abdul Halif, 39, was hard at work creating the puppet.

The studio was founded by his father in 1984.

"We always say, ‘if the Chinese people have Barongsai, Betawi people have Barongan’. But since Benyamin Sueb's Ondel-Ondel song came out, people have been calling (the puppets) ondel-ondel," said Mr Abdul Halif.

Barongsai is the Indonesian word for the traditional Chinese lion dance.

To make the giant puppets, Mr Abdul Halif said that materials needed include wires, raffia rope, bamboo, fiberglass as well as cloth.

“If the sun is not stinging (hot), it can take up to five days to finish one ondel-ondel mask,” he said, referring to the laborious process of crafting and drying the part.

Previously made using wood, the mask of an ondel-ondel is now made of fiberglass that is printed using a special mold. It goes through several processes before being painted with oil paint according to the character of either a male or female ondel-ondel.

To “humanise” the puppets, Mr Abdul Halif said that they are given clothes to cover their body structure. The structure is made mainly using bamboo strips.

From start to finish, Mr Adbul Halif said that it takes an average of 12 days to complete a pair of ondel-ondel before it is performance-ready.

Mr Yahya Andi Saputra, 61, a Betawi cultural figure, told CNA that ondel-ondel was originally used to ward off bad luck and was part of the alms ritual of the Betawi people in the past as it was considered “sacred”.

“For example, if there was (any sickness), village elders will call the ondel-ondel group to perform a ‘ngukup’ ritual that includes incantations and incense burning to ward off the negative energy,” said Mr Saputra.

But today, he noted that various studios only showcase the ondel-ondel as a performing art, with some performers now parading as buskers for extra income.

"What has changed is us. Culture has not changed - people nowadays don't believe in such things because it's not scientific,” said Mr Saputra, referring to the ondel-ondel’s purported significance.

Mr Abdul Halif, the ondel-ondel craftsman, said that some performers have to busk on the streets in order to put food on the table.

He added that calls for performances are few and far between.

But June is typically the time when craftsmen and performers are busiest due to events held to commemorate Jakarta’s founding.

There are requests for performances almost every week and orders for the ondel-ondel also increase.

Despite the planned move for Indonesia’s capital to be moved to Nusantara next year, Mr Abdul Halif remains confident that festivities in celebration of Jakarta’s founding will continue.

“I don’t think there will be less demand for ondel-ondel because of that. If anything, I believe it will continue to be lively,” he said.