Introduction: Facts in the Arts

Rereading Pramodya Ananta Toer’s literary work brings back our imagination to a space in which the described time seems to be reachable in the given reality. The historical records of colonialism had been remarked told by Pramoedya Ananta Toer. Through Minke, Pram presents the historical reality of the indigenous resistance in the early 1990s. “Minke” is Tirto Adi Soeryo’s struggle which is desappears in the grand narrative of Indonesian history used as reference in expressing ideas. The reality of that story narrated beautifully based on subjectivity of Pram himself. Flakes of events, facts and imagination collected, dissected, and carefully reconstructed to describe the reality of Indonesian society. Therefore, Pram’s tetralogy often called as an ethnographical novel because it brings back the reality that is part of the writer’s life.

Writing ethnographical work nedds research and familiarization process. Research on historical data can be an important process in expressing ideas. Pramoedya collected data and facts about the struggle of Tirto Adi Soeryo. Tirto Adi Soeryo’s struggled for the ideas to seat the nation’s identity. Shrewdness and finesse in processing facts into a work of fiction makes Pramoedya not only produced work but also a criticism on a certain time. Associated with ethnographic methods in the social sciences, an ethnographer’s work does not have to tell the story of a clan, but to relate to other groups (the other). Becoming the other in ethnographic work is an obligation. It keeps a distance and makes the researcher away from ethnocentrism. As a story-teller in Indonesian history, Pram established himself as an ethnographer. “Minke” presents to maintain critical distance in the creative process. Language is not only functioned as a mean to bring words, as a mean to build aesthetics, but also as an essence to convery ideas through aesthetic values.

Pramoedya’s creative process in Buru Tetralogy can be adapted and used as a reference for an artist who wants to make artworks. In the world pof music, we know a Javanese female named Waljinah. Waljinah as an artist also presents a message thorugh her performance. Representation of Javanese woman exist in her performance. Walangkek, one of her piece, also carries a massage that describe her time. The spirit of her time became an important storage in her creative process.

Ethnography is a study of the patterns of people’s life based on the data generated by a group of people (community) either in the form of written or other forms Observing the creative process of Pramoedya and Waljinah, we can understand that the reality of certain time will be a trigger point for the creatie imagination. The works they produced cannot be separated from their community. Pram, as a socialist, and Waljinah, as a Javanese woman, will be the marker of spaces that they’re explored. As a creator, the demand of high imagination is important in order to produce nice artworks. Imagination derived from the process of wandering continuously. Imagination is an archetype within the artist. Self-exploration can also become a research that must be done. The reception will be an experience of a storage that may be disclosed or be created any time.

The problem that arises then is how ethnography can come and immerse itself in the process of creation. By looking at Pram, Waljiah, and also Geertz in Bali, we could see deep involvments in certain communities. They all want to record experiences and feelings after involving in certain societies. If Pramoedya suggested Minke as a storyteller, then Wajinah presents the figure of woman as a respond to a situation in certain time. Both of their works show aspects of ethnicity. This symptom is not a primordial appearance but demand that reinforce the idea of cultural background. It can obviously be seen that there is a deep involvment in the problems experienced by a society. Later, the involvment needs to be contemplated and raised by the artist imagination.

Implementation of works in literary is different from music. Language is a medium for expression in literature, while “sound” is a medium to express a self in music. In this case, the media is not the main point that will be studied. The main point is how Pram and Waljinah show the ethnographical aspects in their expression of creativity. Their creation pattern implies the ethnography tendencies.

Arts and Ethnography

Javanese tradition gives the conception that the real woman is one who tender, play well at home both as mom and wife, dutiful to merge in the kitchen and the bed. Javanese society expects their woman to behave properly, to suffer, and to be faithful. They are expected to accept everything even the bitterest. The thought of the unconsciously influences Waljinah’s creative process as an artist. The reason might be nothing but the fact that Waljinah herself is a Javanese woman. This Walangkek’s singer is a great singer who is able to last more than three generations. That is very remarkable considering the background of Javanese conception that must be archetype in Waljinah.

Walangkek is a song that made she was recognized as a singer. Walangkek, as seen from its parikan verse, is a repreentation of Javanese woman’s condition at that time. Neglected, abandoned by men were common things for Javanese woman. Waljinah saw that man’s concern for their family was stolen by nolo, shadow puppet, and kethoprak. Through her beautiful voice, Waljinah reminded Javanese man to remember God, to do God’s commandments. There was alsi little warning to do not understimate woman, because if woman left him, he will be confused.

Walangkek’s lyric contains moral messanges and has values that related to feminism. Its lyric enlightened woman’s condition which had been repressed (domesticated) for many years. As the results, the song got a place in any wol=man’s heart at that time. It also determined Waljinah’s success.

Gadamer explains that in the creative process of art no truth that can be achieved by a scientific method. An artistic creativity of certain person depends on how that person enriches his/her aesthetic understanding. Bildung is a concept that has affects to an artist’s aesthetic truth. Bildung is a collection of memories in the process of collecting itself as the ideal. Remember the events of the world and forget he irresponsible deeds are part of the history of human life. Therefore, a memory or memories must be formed. Even the act of forgetting that are often considered as underisable acts, also used in the bildung. It is because only by forgetting those irresponsible deeds, our thoughts have the opportunity to be new, for example the ability to see things with a fresher sight.

Bildung is a concept that included art, history, Weltanschauung (world view), experience, shrewdness, the external world, myticism, expression or idiom, style and symbol which we understand as the terms in history. These terms are included in the rules of knowledge about life and humanity. Bildung means something higher and manage the inner, the behavior of the human mind itself that flows harmoniously from knowledges and feelings about the whole moral and intellectual effort into the sensibility (the ability to feel) and character (HG Gadamer, 1975)

Repression experienced by the Javanese woman at that time is considered to be a bildung processed and creation by Waljinah. In Solo (Waljinah’s birth place) also appears several outstanding women in the field of batik. Batik eterpreneurs in Laweyan and Klewer dynamic market was driven by woman (mbok mase, who is not a part of the aristocratic class). These conditions signify that Solo woman already had independence or cinfidance in economy and entertainment at that time. Most people consider that Javanese woman has a high power because of her role in the family economy through their active participation in productive activities. Wife’s function as houshold manager makes Javanese woman’s position becomes more powerful. As we see, professional performances in Java show that woman has a significant position. That can be seen in the case of Sri Mulat, and ketoprak Siswo Budoyo (with Ibu Rumani as its founder).

At that time, the shifting of position and gender in Javanese society was already existed explicity. Modernization, woman emancipation, and the influence of western culture shifted the gender relation pattern and brought equality to the society. Sri Mulat and Bu Rumani have no differences from mbok Mase around Laweyan who gave great contributions to the economy of theor family and the city.

Waljinah saw the social picture of Javanese woman daily life as a subject that can be transformed into a creation. Her emotional involvment as a Javanese woman influenced her understanding on meanings of every behavior, language, and interaction in her culture. Waljinah was able to get the meaning of Javanese woman’s reality at that time. As a Javanese woman, Waljinah spook for her community through Walangkek.

Pramoedya is different from Waljinah. He used to be a political prisoner in Pulau Buru because of his activity in Lekra (Lembaga Kesenian Rakyat). Lekra itself was a bildung that influenced Pramoedya’s works. As the result of the coup in 1965, PKI became an illegal organization. Lekra is considered as the underbow of PKI. It also became illegal. Almost all of its member were arrested or killed. Pramoedya became one of the political prisoners.

The psychological condition of political prisoners influenced Pram’s works. His works shows the reality faced by the people, especially the lower class. Their sufferings are clearly described in Pram’s works. Prm’s way of describing the works cannot be detached from his style of art: socialist realism. Socialist realism inspired Pram to express critical thought on things that happened those days. The spirit against colonialism exist in his works. Pram’s works are not only fictions but also based on reality.

As creators, Pramoedya and Waljinah can process their bildung in order to create artworks that can speak about the repression in their communities. The social picture of the communities in an ethnography data that shows their involvment. Their involvments create the logic of discovery, a creative process of making wrtworks based on reality in certain space.

That way is different from Clifford Geertz’s way, an ethnographer involves in a cockfight event in the Balinese society. His involvment resulted in a substancial description also in a specific and detailed explanation about the social life of the Balinese society. The cockfight described a complexity of value in certain community. To get a deep description on the cockfight, Geertz adapted to the Balinese society and became a part of their life for a certain period of time. The purpose of ethnography study is to describe a culture or subculture, included language, custom, values, spiritual ceremonial, and law. In general, ethnography study wants to find and describe a culture of certain society or community. The focus of an ethnography study is on the patterns that reflected in the behavior of a society or an organization. This method of research wants to reveal the meaning of certain objects. To get the meaning of a culture, an ethnography study needs an experienced researcher. The researcher should involve in the society’s culture. Geertz’s involvement in his cockgfight research is different from Pram’s and Waljina’s. As an ethnographer, his involvement is a must in order to understand reality. In other words, Geertz’s involvement is an intended one. As an intended involvement, it is eady for Geertz to detach himself frm the subject of his research. However, Pram’s and Waljinah’s involvement cannot be detached from themselves. Waljinah cannot detach her Javanese woman identity as well as Pram cannot detach his socialist ideology