rel="nofollow" href="#fb3_img_img_a638037d-7ad1-5176-a1ea-7349b359c0d7.jpg" alt=""/> Si Kabayan
That happy-go-lucky guy.
Kabayan is a character from West Javanese folklore who wears a sarong across his shoulder. He is an eternally lazy villager, armed with excuses to avoid work. He adores his sweetheart, the shy Iteung. Everything else, including money, bores him.
Kabayan became the hero in a popular television series, and a movie about him—Si Kabayan Saba Kota (Kabayan goes to the city)—broke box office records for an Indonesian movie in 1989.
In the film, Kabayan heads to town, where the tough, commercial culture shocks him. A city girl attracts his attention. He tries his hand at running a company. But he balks at the pressure in the big city and returns to his village, where Iteung awaits him.
Kabayan got an image makeover in 2004 when state-run television broadcast a show called Kabayan Reformasi. This time, the villager is clad in jeans and a shirt, and Iteung is not a tongue-tied lass, but a strong woman with a mind of her own.
Today, an office worker grumbles about a colleague: “Uggh. I really like Ahmad but he often gets on my nerves. He’s so Kabayan, you know. He does nothing but smile!”
Aduh, aku suka sama si Ahmad tapi dia sering bikin kesel. Kabayan banget, sih. Kerjanya senyum doang.
The warrior-lover.
Arjuna is the third of five Pandawa brothers in the Mahabharata, an ancient tale from India about a monumental war between family lines. The Pandawas won the war. Arjuna was a great warrior, mastering the bow and arrow and every other weapon in the world.
Slender and soft-spoken, Arjuna symbolizes an ideal of male beauty that eschewed muscle-bound hunks. Indonesians marvel at his exploits as a lover. He is said to have had at least 41 wives and countless lovers. One affair was with Srikandi, who attended one of Arjuna’s weddings and fell in love with him. She got him to become her archery teacher. One popular puppet show features Srikandi learning to shoot an arrow; she aims for Arjuna’s heart.
Indonesia’s female archers won the country’s first Olympic medal, a silver, at the 1988 Games in South Korea. They were crowned “Srikandi heroes” (Pahlawan Srikandi) back home.
Pop songs, contemporary novels and films pay tribute to Arjuna. In 2002, rock band Dewa (God) released a hit single, Arjuna mencari cinta (Arjuna looks for love). The lyrics of the rock stadium anthem describe how he would scale the highest peaks and sail vast oceans to be with his love. The ending says true love might elude Arjuna.
In an Indonesian household, a mother worries about her daughter, who listens to love songs and jumps for the phone when it rings. She fears her infatuated child will end up hurt by her “Arjuna,” slang for a crush or new boyfriend.
A girl tells her lovesick friend:
“Don’t take that Arjuna seriously. Yesterday he was out with that girl. Tomorrow, he’ll be with a different one.”
Jangan ambil pusing dengan si Arjuna itu. Kemarin dia pergi sama cewek itu. Besok pasti sama cewek lain.
“Enemy under the blanket” = An unknown danger.
A close friend betrays you. The traitor seemed like such an intimate friend that you both slept under the same cover. In another interpretation, the blanket is a convenient hiding place for the betrayer.
“There’s a crayfish under the rock,” also warns of hidden menace. Ada udang di balik batu. The crayfish will snap off your finger if you shift that rock.
“Selling a gun to the enemy,” refers to betrayal. Menjual bedil kepada lawan.
“Bifurcate like a monitor lizard’s tongue,” has a similar meaning. Bercabang bagai lidah biawak. The lizard’s forked tongue implies two-sidedness, or allegiance to everybody and nobody.
“The naughty cleric” = An off-beat, off-the-wall Muslim leader.
Kyai is a title of a senior Muslim preacher. Mbeling is a crude Javanese term for naughty.
One example of kyai mbeling was Emha Ainun Najib, who wrote tongue-in-cheek essays about corruption during the rule of President Suharto. Emha had long hair and wore Western clothes instead of traditional, flowing tunics favored by preachers. Emha invited actors and musicians to perform at his gatherings. They penned puisi mbeling (naughty poetry), which needled the government. Known as Teater Mbeling, the group was careful to avoid direct criticism of the state. They spoke in allusions because the government often shut theaters or publications that it deemed subversive, and jailed their owners.
“An empty barrel makes a loud noise” = A blowhard, full of hot air. All talk and no action.
A similar expression: air beriak tanda tak dalam (rippled water is shallow).
On the other hand: Air tenang menghanyutkan (calm water carries away). Quiet people are profound.
“Fire in the hay” = A spoiler.
A walking timebomb.
A rebellious teenager, perhaps. Or a disgruntled employee.
Chapter Three
Body Language
From head to tongue to toe, body parts reveal a lot about how Indonesians feel and think.
Muka (Face)
“Deposit face” = Show your face. Drop by. Pop in.
“I don’t feel like going to my boss’s party, but if it’s only a short one, I’ll go,” says the party pooper.
Saya malas pergi ke pesta bos saya, tapi kalau hanya setor muka, ayolah.
The expression is popular in Jakarta. Setor usually refers to depositing money in a bank (setor uang di bank).
“Look for face” = To suck up/butter up.
Ambil muka (take face) also refers to the act of seeking someone’s favor.
“Ugly face, break the mirror” = A bad workman blames his tools.
It’s easier to assign blame than to accept your own faults. Indonesians often just say the first half of the expression, and drop the rest. Buruk muka …
“Wall face” = A thick-skinned person, impervious to curses, insults and admonitions.
Another term is muka badak (rhino face).
Kepala batu (stone head) is a stubborn person.
“Charcoal on the face”