Alu

[Ranggalana]

The alu is the traditional pestle used to husk and polish rice all over traditional Indonesian rice land.

Some silat styles use it.

It is not considered a weapon, really, and a Satria would not use it.

In wayang kulit, the alu is the weapon of Petruk, the clown-god with a long nose and one finger pointing, master of the ilmu Kanthong Bolong, and panakawan (wise companion) of the Pandawa.

Most alu are now lost, gone, as since the 1970s the post-harvest handling of rice changed because of the 'Green Revolution'. They can be as tall as a person of shorter, and the best are made of heavy, solid wood, like kayu kesambi, kayu lamtara, or the very best would be from the hard and heavy and string kayu walikukun.

Warm salaams to all,
Ranggalana

[kuntulbaris]

Salam Pak Bram,

Talking about alu, I remember one of famous saying about pandeka Minang:

"samuik tapijak indak mati, alu tapijak balah tujuah" (onother version says "alu tapijak balah tigo").

means:

"ant is stepped on would not die, alu is stepped on would break into seven pieces" (another version says "break into three pieces)".

The meaning looks like starigth forward and simple, but behind this there is a very deep philosophy, I am sure you can feel it... 

Salam from neigbourhood area...

[Ranggalana]

...Talking about alu, I remember one of famous saying about pandeka Minang:

"samuik tapijak indak mati, alu tapijak balah tujuah" (onother version says "alu tapijak balah tigo").

means:

"ant is stepped on would not die, alu is stepped on would break into seven pieces" (another version says "break into three pieces)". ...

Salam Pak Kuntulbaris and thankyou for the saying from Minang. Very deep ... and very high at the same time. A goal in silat. Good silat is walking on water, moving mountains.

Sorry for making a long quote Kang Eric, I just wanted to highlite the word alu there, and point out that between the land of the Minang and the land of Jawa there are many miles of mountains, jungles, rivers and sea, but the word, alu, remains the same.

This sugests a very ancient origin. Maybe even older but at least as old as rice cultivation. The alu appears in the legend of dewi Sri, the legend of Rara Jongrang and is also the weapon of the character Petruk.

Petruk is interesting, and has been strongly linked to traditional Itailan comedy and might be an illustration of people to people (theatre artist to theatre artist) creative contact between old Jawa and old Europe.

Salam hangat,

Ranggalana.

[EricB]

no problem wit the quote mas Bram, this is a usefull one

But I have a question in this topic: can someone post a picture of an "alu"
I don't recognize the word, and don't know the weapon/tool.
Maybe when I see it I'll recognize it

thnx.

[dsbasuki]

can someone post a picture of an "alu"

Salam Kang Eric,
"alu" is "pestle" in English as mortar is "lesung". So lesung+alu = mortar+pestle. It could be as small as a regular mortar&pestle grinder for spices or as large as in this picture (the woman is holding the "alu"):
http://klasik.blogmas.com/files/2007/09/lesung-kayu_menumbuk1.jpg

This is the small "alu" (the pestle, not the mortar):
http://klasik.blogmas.com/files/2007/09/lesung-batu1.jpg

Salam,

[EricB]

Ok that clears it for me, now I know what we are talking about, thanks Mas Don

@ Mas Bram:
I can think of a view options for defending/attacking an opponent whit this item, but I never seen it used in Pencak Silat
I can remember to see it in a dance performance, if I'm not mistaken a dance from the Toraja lands.

wassalam,

[Sabrang kidul]

The alu is the traditional pestle used to husk and polish rice all over traditional Indonesian rice land.

Some silat styles use it.

It is not considered a weapon, really, and a Satria would not use it.

Warm salaams to all,
Ranggalana

Mas,
What do you mean alu it is not considered a weapon? For me a weapon is (among other) an extension and amplification of  our limbs therefore anything even a simple branch used for that purpose is a weapon.

The short alu can be easily used as a pentung or Penggada as used by wrekudoro or setyaki (I've seen video of modern day Indian martial artist using a penggada/mace very similar to rujakpolo). A long alu, if one is strong enough to control it perhaps can be used similar to a long staff or toya
 

In wayang kulit, the alu is the weapon of Petruk, the clown-god with a long nose and one finger pointing, master of the ilmu Kanthong Bolong, and panakawan (wise companion) of the Pandawa.


Warm salaams to all,
Ranggalana

I'm going off topic here, however I found the panakawan character very intriguing. As far as I know, they did not exist in the original Indian mahabharata epic therefore  they are a distinctive flavor of the Indonesian wayang. In the javanese context (Bali has different panakawans and Sunda, to the lesser extent as well), many people will argue that there are significant Islamic (Sunan Kalijogo?) influence in their depiction. Even their names (Semar-Petruk-Nala Gareng-Bagong) can arguably reflect this islamic influence.

In the case of Petruk, it is said that it came from the arabic fatru(k), has a connotation of to 'leave', 'abstain' or to 'forgo' (everything that God had prohibited). The term 'kanthong bolong' or  also imply a warning to us that we human are nothing but empty vessels . We came empty and will return empty, except for our amal.

Perhaps mas Bram can elaborate, after all I'm just a dalang trainee....

Cheers
O'

[Ranggalana]

...(Bali has different panakawans and Sunda, to the lesser extent as well), many people will argue that there are significant Islamic (Sunan Kalijogo?) influence in their depiction. Even their names (Semar-Petruk-Nala Gareng-Bagong) can arguably reflect this islamic influence.

In the case of Petruk, it is said that it came from the arabic fatru(k), has a connotation of to 'leave', 'abstain' or to 'forgo' (everything that God had prohibited). The term 'kanthong bolong' or  also imply a warning to us that we human are nothing but empty vessels . We came empty and will return empty, except for our amal.

Perhaps mas Bram can elaborate, after all I'm just a dalang trainee....

Cheers
O'

Yes Mas Oki I am aware of the Arabic interpretations but I really believe that these are new as well. Sunan Kalijogo, over the years, seems to have done more and more things. Older primbons like from 1950 ke belakang don't have as much Islamic overtones as current interpretations do.

As to Petrucio, I have personally seen an old Italian mask that would be perfect as Petruk. I have been told that Petrucio is a mischeivious character, and Petruk, though wise, is naughty too.

Kanthong Bolong is, I was taught, essentially a common name for the Buddhist meditation technique commonly named Satipatana. RM Sosrokartono, Endonesya's first international jurnalist (I think) used to teach Kanthong Bolong from his Darusalam house in Bandung. His handwritten notes say : Kanthong bolong: yen ana isi lumuntur marang sesami. Then he goes on to write the famous : Sugih tanpa bandha Digdaya tanpa Aji Nglurug tanpa bala Menang tanpo ngasorake. He is the  great unknown poet of Jawa after Ranggawarsita.

So back to Petruk. I think some clever academic should study him. I don't think that the references to Kalijaga are based on much more that intuition, I witnessed these references emerge in the late 1980s -ish.

I mean, if Mas Oki was a Majapahit satria, mas Oki would nyengkelit keris, that is a weapon. At home, one of Mas Oki's servants in the back house would be busy pounding rice using an alu, the alu there is a tool. Mas Oki might hit an intruder with the alu but he would not sengkelit it. This is what I mean, ngaten lho.

A weapon is made to be used to kill. Killing is its main purpose. 

Salam hangat,
Ranggalana

[Sabrang kidul]

RM Sosrokartono, Endonesya's first international jurnalist (I think) used to teach Kanthong Bolong from his Darusalam house in Bandung. His handwritten notes say : Kanthong bolong: yen ana isi lumuntur marang sesami. Then he goes on to write the famous : Sugih tanpa bandha Digdaya tanpa Aji Nglurug tanpa bala Menang tanpo ngasorake. He is the  great unknown poet of Jawa after Ranggawarsita.


Salam hangat,
Ranggalana

Just to add my unworthy bits for those who are interested in the (semi) modern Indonesian history. As mas Bram said, not many of us (even Indonesian) recognize the name RM Sosrokartono as much as his younger sister, Raden Ajeng Kartini eventhough it is Sosrokartono that Kartini always rely on for advice and guidance.
 
Sosrokartono is widely considered as a genius in the family. A graduate of Leijden, he was reputed to master more than 20 different foreign languages. Returning to Indonesia, he was involved in the nationalist movement through education for Indonesian people (including opening a public library and became the head of Taman Siswa in Bandung). He was also well known for his ability to heal people using air putih as the medium.

Selanjutnya, silahkan mas Bram tambah lagi. Apology for veering further off topic....

Salam
O'

[Michael Lee]

can someone post a picture of an "alu"

Salam Kang Eric,
"alu" is "pestle" in English as mortar is "lesung". So lesung+alu = mortar+pestle. It could be as small as a regular mortar&pestle grinder for spices or as large as in this picture (the woman is holding the "alu"):
http://klasik.blogmas.com/files/2007/09/lesung-kayu_menumbuk1.jpg

This is the small "alu" (the pestle, not the mortar):
http://klasik.blogmas.com/files/2007/09/lesung-batu1.jpg

Salam,

The first image from Dsbasuki's post looks and sounds like what we call the "Trumbu."  It was given to us by Pendekar Sukarma of Tarik Kolot.  He gave us 4 jurus that are characterized by very low to the ground stances with lots of lower leg and foot strikes.  We know it as a farm tool turned weapon. 

Follow this link and scroll down to the bottom of the page.  The last 2 images are what I'm talking about:

http://www.cimande.com/about/mama/photos.htm

Cheers!
Michael

[Ranggalana]

Michael, Pak Karma there is holding a small alu, but it looks like it has not been used for a long time. The other photo, it looks like the people are holding newly whittled staffs not really alu. The alu was left behind in the agricultural 'Green Revolution' in 1970s and wil never really come back. Now it is only used in remote areas to pound rice.

Sociologically the alu is more of a woman's tool than a man's.

Lumbung ndesa pra tani padha makarya, ayo Yu!
Njukuk alu nata lesung nyandhak lumpang, ayo Kang!

is an old Jawa pop song featuring an alu...

Salam hangat,
Ranggalana

[Michael Lee]

Good evening everyone!  I was going to modify my previous post, but I see now that someone has replied so I'll simply make another one....

I received an email from Pendekar Sanders telling me that my early post needs to be fleshed out a little bit more. 

So here goes....

The name of the stick is called the Halu stick and the system that teaches us to fight with it is called Trumbu (btw, this is not to be confused with the Tremebu (sp?) system from the Banten area which is a complete Silat system in and of itself).  Pendekar Surkarma has told us that the Trumbu system comes directly from Embah Kahir.  Incidentally, the spelling in Bahasa is Alu, but in Sundanese it's Halu.... at least I'm assuming so because that's how both P. Surkarma and the people of Mas Jud's lineage spell it! 

More photos of these people holding the Halu stick can be found here:
http://www.cimande.com/about/masjud/trumbu/index.htm

Photos of the various Silat Players of the Mas Jud / Cimande Combanisi lineage can be found here:
http://www.cimande.com/about/masjud/cilisung/photos_masjud.htm


This brings me to another something I was thinking about....

Does anyone else besides me think it's strange that Bram has started 3 threads in this section devoted to talking about weapons that are uniquely part of the Pukulan Cimande Pusaka system?  I can't help but think that he's still up to his same old game of coming after us anyway he can.  For the readers who are not up on the history of Bram and Pukulan Cimande Pusaka, Bram has been chasing us around online for almost 3 years.  Bram is a highly intelligent man with an encyclopedic knowledge of Indonesian culture and history.  But despite this, for some reason, he has not been able to shake his lust for us.  He has been coming after us time and time again, on various public internet forums.  He has refused all attempts to deal with us directly.  Instead, he's opted to repeatedly take the route of public internet engagement only.  Indeed, just a few weeks ago, I communicated with him directly in a private discussion that lasted for about 2 weeks.   15 emails were exchanged between us.  At every turn, despite all my efforts to keep the discusion positive, he attempted to piggyback off my good will to try and dig up dirt on my teacher, Pendekar Williams Sanders.  Finally, having had enough, I told him that he needed to stop the questions if he wished to continue the dialogue with me.  I never heard from him again. 

Anyways, my point here is that the Halu stick is a part of the PCP system, and that's why Bram created a thread devoted to showing the world that it's not a silat weapon.  Bram, you're pissing up a rope on this one my friend because our Trumbu system comes directly from a living Pendekar who is quite eager to talk with anyone who says it's not a fighting tool. 

All inqueries as to the authencity of the Halu stick being a weapon and/or the Trumbu system being something that was taught by Embah Kahir can be addressed here:

Jl. He Sukma Km 10, Talang II
Kp. Cimande Nanggoh RT 04/0I
Ds. Lemah Tunur
Kec. Caringin, Bogor 16730

If a trip to the Bogor area is not on your calendar, simply send a letter! 



Michael

P.S. Other PCP weapons that don't yet have threads started about them are the Pedang, the Kanching Stick, the Cebang, the Pisau, the Karambit, the Renchong, the Culrit, dirt, and the serong.  We can all expect to see Bram start threads about them in the near future. 

P.S.S. I apologize to the moderators and forum members for my harshness in this post.  I've been silent on these matters for the past few weeks, but it seems increasingly apparent to me that silence = weakness to Bram.   

[Sabrang kidul]

This brings me to another something I was thinking about....

Does anyone else besides me think it's strange that Bram has started 3 threads in this section devoted to talking about weapons that are uniquely part of the Pukulan Cimande Pusaka system? 

Hi Michael,
By unique, are you implying that no other silat system employing or studying these weapons ?

Cheers
O'

[dsbasuki]

...the Pedang, the Kanching Stick, the Cebang, the Pisau, the Karambit, the Renchong, the Culrit, dirt, and the serong.

Greetings Mike...
If you would not mind, here's the correct spelling for your weapons:
Kanching stick --> Kancing stick (can you show me a pic of this please?)
Cebang --> Cabang or Trisula
Renchong --> Rencong
Culrit --> Clurit
Serong --> Sarung

Salam...

[Michael Lee]

 

Hi Michael,
By unique, are you implying that no other silat system employing or studying these weapons ?

Cheers
O'
[/quote]

Sabrang Kidul!  No that's not what I meant...  I wrote that post rather quickly and could probably have written that sentence better. 

Thanks for pointing that out!  I'd modify my post, but then nobody would know what you're talking about.    I'll leave it as it is, and hope that these words serve as clarification for the public record. 

To be clear for the readers who might not know English that well... I did not mean to say that those weapons are unique to PCP.  I know that they are included in many other Silat systems. 

Thanks again Sabrang Kidul!

@ Dsbasuki... Thank you for the spelling corrections!  It's 10:30 on Sunday evening here and I have to get to bed shortly.  I did not take the time to check the various spellings so thank you for your input!

Michael