Ondel-ondel without scary face

REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – Walking through the entrance of Hasyim’s house in Pasar Minggu Jakarta, we are greeted by a couple. They are smiling hospitably upon us. They are very tall, about three meters, and wearing traditional betawi clothes. But they are not humans. The big puppet locally called ondel-ondel.

Hasyim Maulana (49 years) or known as Bang Hasyim is not the Governor of Jakarta. This Jakarta born man is an ondel-ondel maker. Hasyim has been a maker of ondel-ondel since 1992. “At the first time, I made ondel-ondel just for fun. I learned on my own, no one teached me before on how to make ondel-ondel,” he said.

Hasyim said, he has learned about Betawi art since 1979, from Kasidah to Palang Pintu (Betawi wedding procession). Hasyim noticed then that many people liked ondel-ondel, but the makers were very few. Then, he and his friends tried to make the puppet.

At that time, Hasyim bought the head part for 300,000 IDR. He made the rest parts its body from the wood. After he finished a pair of ondel-ondels, he was disappointed with the face. He felt that the face was too scary for children. Hasyim then changed the face.

Actually, in Betawi culture the scary face is used to counter the evil. This acculturation of Arab, Chinese, and Sundanese doll was first named Barongan. “To make and play it cannot be careless,” he said. Hasyim changed from originally scary face into more hospitable. “Many people like it and the children do not cry anymore,” he said.

Not only for wedding procession, his ondel-ondel attracts some Indonesians who live abroad. The order comes from Papua, Australia, and Japan. For long distance order, he makes ondel-ondel in assembled type so the packing will be easier. The offering price is ranging from 300.000 IDR to eight million IDR, depends on the size.

He needs four day only to make a pair of ondel-ondel. “The biggest problem is money. If only I had money for this business, I could make more ondel-ondels,” he said.