Tradition of Phinisi Sailing Boat in Indonesia : Most Powerful Sailing Boat

Pinisi, The Toughest Ship from Indonesia
The pinisi is a traditional Indonesian two masted sailing ship. It was mainly built by the Konjo of South Sulawesi but was and is largely used by the Bugis and Makassar.

The hull of the ships looks similar to that of a dhow while the fore-and-aft rigging reminds of western schooners, although it might be more correctly termed to resemble a ketch, as the front mast is the larger.
The large mainsails differ from western style gaff rigs though, as they often do not have a boom and the sail is not lowered with the gaff. Instead it is reefed towards the mast, much like a curtain, thus allowing the gaff to be used as deck crane in the harbour. The lower part of the mast itself may resemble a tripod or is made of two poles.
Pinisis may be 20 to 35 meters long and 350 tons in size. The masts may reach to 30 meters above the deck.

The Evolution of an Indigenous Wooden Sailing Vessel
The “modern” wooden ‘Pinisi’ type has been derived from similar craft that have been in use in and around Indonesia for several centuries. According to some sources, similar types have existed prior to the 1500′s, such as the Arabian Dhow.

The sailing ‘Pinisi’ hull form in many ways resembles a cross between two traditional American sailing vessel types, the Pinky Schooner and the Tancook Whaler, even though the ‘Pinisi’ hull type pre-dates those Western hull forms by centuries… In other words, in its original form the ‘Pinisi’ was a double ended hull type, having sharply raked stem and stern post. There was not a centerline rudder however, as with the American craft. Instead the local Indonesian craft in the past most often made use of twin rudders, one on each aft quarter.

Used both as transport and as cargo vessels, the craft we are calling ‘Pinisi’ (variously spelled Pinissi, Pinisiq, or Phinisi) have traditionally been built on the beach, where the logs have come from the forests of Sulawesi (Celebes) and Kalimantan (Borneo), then transported to the boat building sites.
Historically, several interesting rituals and ceremonies have been part of building such a vessel, beginning with choosing the right trees for critical parts of the structure. Just as with traditional wooden boat building in the West, various rituals continue throughout the building process to initiate and celebrate each stage, such as the all important laying of the keel.

The ‘Pinisi’ Tradition
A few clarifications of terminology are in order…
The Builders:  Although the builders of these craft are commonly lumped under the category of Bugis peoples, there are four cultural sub-sets of boat builders to be separately distinguished in South Sulawesi (per the writings of Horst Liebner).  The primary groups are the Konjo of the southern tip of South Sulawesi (from near the towns of Ara, Bira, and Tanah Biru), the Mandar of West Sulawesi to the north of Makassar, the Bugis from the region near Wajo on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Bone (the central gulf between the two halves of Sulawesi), and the Makassarese from the region around the city of Makassar.  Among these groups, the Konjo of South Sulawesi appear to have had the primary and most influential role as boat builders.

The Vessels:  Technically, the term ‘Pinisi’ refers to the rig itself.  In particular ‘Pinisi’ refers to the usual gaff-ketch type of rig.  Locally this rig is referred to as a “seven sail schooner” even though the aft gaff sail is slightly smaller than the forward gaff sail, in fact making it a ketch rig.
Per Horst Liebner, the correct term for the sharp-stern sailing craft is ‘palari’ or ‘lamba’ among the Konjo boat builders of South Sulawesi.  When the stem and stern post are straight, and are set at a sharply raked angle to the keel, the hull form is the ‘lamba’ as opposed to the ‘palari’ which make use of curved timbers for both stem and stern.

Since the term ‘Pinisi’ has come to be commonly applied to the hull form as well, we will use the word ‘Pinisi’ here to refer to the sailing hull type for the purposes of our discussion…

These ‘Pinisi’ have traditionally been built in a variety of sizes. Although in the past the craft tended to be smaller, it is not uncommon to find 30 to 40 meter vessels under construction, with an occasional Pinisi ranging up to around 50 meters (close to 165 feet on deck) or larger.
The widespread use of a sharply raked stem and stern post is simply the practical result of making efficient use of the timber lengths that can be conveniently brought down from the forest. In this way the vessel can be quite large and still have a relatively modest length of keel timber. Conveniently, it also makes them very good sea boats!

In many Indonesian boat building locations, good timber has become difficult to obtain, therefore costly. Many builders have begun using shorter and shorter timbers, resulting in a compromised hull structure, particularly in larger craft. With many of the ritual ceremonies becoming less and less common, some may suggest that this too has conspired against the longevity of the ships.

One very significant improvement in the quality of available timber has been made possible by the Konjo builders themselves. . . The builders of larger vessels have actually re-located!  Quite a number of the Konjo builders from Southwest Sulawesi have simply moved, in order to be close to larger supplies of good quality timber.
In so doing, the builders of Southwest Sulawesi have literally carved a new building site and a new village out of the jungle in Kalimantan (Borneo). Several new building sites are located in Kalimantan Selatan (South Kalimantan) and Kalimantan Timur (East Kalimantan), on the banks of rivers close to the supply of timbers. It is here that they have been able to obtain the size and quality of timbers necessary for building wooden vessels of up to 50 or so meters in length.

Presently (2008) the boatbuilding sites in Kalimantan Selatan have fallen out of favor.  The most advanced of these builders have sought new sites located farther in Kalimantan Timur. These newly favored sites are in the regions of Sangkulirang and Berau.  When asked about this our friend and master builder Pak Tandra simply says,

“We are boat builders. We will always follow the wood!”

Links : http://www.kastenmarine.com/phinisi_history.htm

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Tradition of Phinisi Sailing Boat in Indonesia : Most Powerful Sailing Boat

Pinisi, The Toughest Ship from Indonesia
The pinisi is a traditional Indonesian two masted sailing ship. It was mainly built by the Konjo of South Sulawesi but was and is largely used by the Bugis and Makassar.

The hull of the ships looks similar to that of a dhow while the fore-and-aft rigging reminds of western schooners, although it might be more correctly termed to resemble a ketch, as the front mast is the larger.
The large mainsails differ from western style gaff rigs though, as they often do not have a boom and the sail is not lowered with the gaff. Instead it is reefed towards the mast, much like a curtain, thus allowing the gaff to be used as deck crane in the harbour. The lower part of the mast itself may resemble a tripod or is made of two poles.
Pinisis may be 20 to 35 meters long and 350 tons in size. The masts may reach to 30 meters above the deck.

The Evolution of an Indigenous Wooden Sailing Vessel
The “modern” wooden ‘Pinisi’ type has been derived from similar craft that have been in use in and around Indonesia for several centuries. According to some sources, similar types have existed prior to the 1500′s, such as the Arabian Dhow.

The sailing ‘Pinisi’ hull form in many ways resembles a cross between two traditional American sailing vessel types, the Pinky Schooner and the Tancook Whaler, even though the ‘Pinisi’ hull type pre-dates those Western hull forms by centuries… In other words, in its original form the ‘Pinisi’ was a double ended hull type, having sharply raked stem and stern post. There was not a centerline rudder however, as with the American craft. Instead the local Indonesian craft in the past most often made use of twin rudders, one on each aft quarter.

Used both as transport and as cargo vessels, the craft we are calling ‘Pinisi’ (variously spelled Pinissi, Pinisiq, or Phinisi) have traditionally been built on the beach, where the logs have come from the forests of Sulawesi (Celebes) and Kalimantan (Borneo), then transported to the boat building sites.
Historically, several interesting rituals and ceremonies have been part of building such a vessel, beginning with choosing the right trees for critical parts of the structure. Just as with traditional wooden boat building in the West, various rituals continue throughout the building process to initiate and celebrate each stage, such as the all important laying of the keel.

The ‘Pinisi’ Tradition
A few clarifications of terminology are in order…
The Builders:  Although the builders of these craft are commonly lumped under the category of Bugis peoples, there are four cultural sub-sets of boat builders to be separately distinguished in South Sulawesi (per the writings of Horst Liebner).  The primary groups are the Konjo of the southern tip of South Sulawesi (from near the towns of Ara, Bira, and Tanah Biru), the Mandar of West Sulawesi to the north of Makassar, the Bugis from the region near Wajo on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Bone (the central gulf between the two halves of Sulawesi), and the Makassarese from the region around the city of Makassar.  Among these groups, the Konjo of South Sulawesi appear to have had the primary and most influential role as boat builders.

The Vessels:  Technically, the term ‘Pinisi’ refers to the rig itself.  In particular ‘Pinisi’ refers to the usual gaff-ketch type of rig.  Locally this rig is referred to as a “seven sail schooner” even though the aft gaff sail is slightly smaller than the forward gaff sail, in fact making it a ketch rig.
Per Horst Liebner, the correct term for the sharp-stern sailing craft is ‘palari’ or ‘lamba’ among the Konjo boat builders of South Sulawesi.  When the stem and stern post are straight, and are set at a sharply raked angle to the keel, the hull form is the ‘lamba’ as opposed to the ‘palari’ which make use of curved timbers for both stem and stern.

Since the term ‘Pinisi’ has come to be commonly applied to the hull form as well, we will use the word ‘Pinisi’ here to refer to the sailing hull type for the purposes of our discussion…

These ‘Pinisi’ have traditionally been built in a variety of sizes. Although in the past the craft tended to be smaller, it is not uncommon to find 30 to 40 meter vessels under construction, with an occasional Pinisi ranging up to around 50 meters (close to 165 feet on deck) or larger.
The widespread use of a sharply raked stem and stern post is simply the practical result of making efficient use of the timber lengths that can be conveniently brought down from the forest. In this way the vessel can be quite large and still have a relatively modest length of keel timber. Conveniently, it also makes them very good sea boats!

In many Indonesian boat building locations, good timber has become difficult to obtain, therefore costly. Many builders have begun using shorter and shorter timbers, resulting in a compromised hull structure, particularly in larger craft. With many of the ritual ceremonies becoming less and less common, some may suggest that this too has conspired against the longevity of the ships.

One very significant improvement in the quality of available timber has been made possible by the Konjo builders themselves. . . The builders of larger vessels have actually re-located!  Quite a number of the Konjo builders from Southwest Sulawesi have simply moved, in order to be close to larger supplies of good quality timber.
In so doing, the builders of Southwest Sulawesi have literally carved a new building site and a new village out of the jungle in Kalimantan (Borneo). Several new building sites are located in Kalimantan Selatan (South Kalimantan) and Kalimantan Timur (East Kalimantan), on the banks of rivers close to the supply of timbers. It is here that they have been able to obtain the size and quality of timbers necessary for building wooden vessels of up to 50 or so meters in length.

Presently (2008) the boatbuilding sites in Kalimantan Selatan have fallen out of favor.  The most advanced of these builders have sought new sites located farther in Kalimantan Timur. These newly favored sites are in the regions of Sangkulirang and Berau.  When asked about this our friend and master builder Pak Tandra simply says,

“We are boat builders. We will always follow the wood!”

Links : http://www.kastenmarine.com/phinisi_history.htm

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Wood Boat Construction materials and methods – Wood Type Construction

Construction materials and methods
* Wood – The traditional boat building material that was and is still used for hull and spar construction. It is buoyant, cheap, widely available and easily worked. As such, it is a popular material for amateur builders, especially for small boats (of e.g. 6-metre length; such as dinghies and sharpies). It is not particularly abrasion resistant and it can deteriorate if fresh water or marine organisms are allowed to penetrate the wood. The hull of a wooden boat usually consists of planking fastened to frames and a keel. Keel and frames are traditionally made of hardwoods such as oak while planking can be oak but is more often softwood such as pine, larch or cedar. Plywood is especially popular for amateur construction. More recently introduced tropical woods as mahogany, okoumé, iroko, Keruing, azobe and merbau.[1]are also used. With tropical species, extra attention needs to be taken to ensure that the wood is indeed FSC-certified. Teak or iroko is usually used to create the deck and any superstructure. Glue, screws, rivets and/or nails are used to join the wooden components.

Some types of wood construction include:
* Carvel, in which a smooth hull is formed by wooden planks attached to a frame. The planks may be curved in cross section like barrel staves. Carvel planks are generally caulked with oakum or cotton that is driven into the seams between the planks and covered with some waterproof substance. It takes its name from an archaic ship type and is believed to have originated in the Mediterranean.

* Another method of building wooden boats is lapstrake, a technique originally identified with the Vikings in which wooden planks are fixed to each other with a slight overlap that is bevelled for a tight fit. The planks may be mechanically connected to each other with copper rivets, bent over iron nails, screws or with adhesives. Often, steam bent wooden frames are fitted inside the hull. This technique is known as clinker in Britain and also as clench built.
* Strip planking is yet another type of wooden boat construction. It is a glued construction method which is very popular with amateur boatbuilders as it is quick, avoids complex temporary jig work and does not require shaping of the planks.
* Another method is called sheet plywood boat building and uses sheets of plywood panels fixed to a frame. Plywood may be laminated into a round hull or used in single sheets. These hulls generally have one or more chines and the method is called Ply on Frame construction.[6] A subdivision of the sheet plywood boat building method is known as the stitch-and-glue method, where pre-shaped panels of plywood are edge glued and reinforced with fibreglass without the use of a frame. Metal or plastic wires pull curved flat panels into three-dimensional curved shapes. These hulls generally have one or more chines. Plywood panels of good quality are often designated “WBP” (which stands for water- and boiled-proof). Both types of plywood construction are very popular with amateur builders, and many dinghies such as the Vaurien (ply on frame construction) and FJs, FDs and Kolibris (stitch-and-glue method) have been built from it.
* Cold-Molding is a composite method of wooden boat building that uses many different layers of thin wood, called veneers, oriented in all different directions, resulting in a strong monoque structure, similar to a fibreglass hull. Usually composed of a base layer of strip planking followed then by multiple veneers, cold-molding is becoming popular in very large, wooden superyachts.
* Steel (and before that iron) – Either used in sheet or alternatively, plate [11] for all-metal hulls or for isolated structural members. It is strong, but heavy (despite the fact that the thickness of the hull can be les). It is generally about 30% heavier than aluminium and somewhat more heavy than polyester. The material rusts unless protected from water (this is usually done by means of a covering of paint). Modern steel components are welded or bolted together. As the welding can be done very easily (with common welding equipment), and as the material is very cheap, it is a popular material with amateur builders. Also, amateur builders which are not yet well established in building steel ships may opt for DIY construction kits. If steel is used, a zinc layer is often applied to coat the entire hull. It is applied after sandblasting (which is required to have a cleaned surface) and before painting. The painting is usually done with lead paint (Pb3O4). Optionally, the covering with the zinc layer may be left out, but it is generally not recommended. Zinc anodes also need to be placed on the ship’s hull. Until the mid 1900s, steel sheets were riveted together.
* Aluminium – either used in sheet for all-metal hulls or for isolated structural members. Many sailing spars are made of aluminium. The material requires special manufacturing techniques, construction tools and construction skills. It is the lightest material for building boats (being 15-20% lighter than polyester and 30% lighter than steel). Aluminium is very expensive and it is usually not used by amateur builders. While it is easy to cut, aluminium is difficult to weld, and also requires heat treatments such as precipitation strengthening for most applications. Corrosion is a concern with aluminium, particularly below the waterline.
* Composite – Originally “composite” referred to a timber carvel skin fastened to iron frame and deck beams. This allowed sheet copper anti-fouling to be employed without the risk of galvanic corrosion of the hull fabric. It was employed for fast cargo vessels so that they were not slowed by marine fouling. While GRP, wood, and even concrete hulls are technically made of composite materials, the term “composite” is often used for plastics reinforced with fibers other than (or in addition to) glass. Cold-molded refers to a type of building one-off hulls using thin strips of wood applied to a series of forms at 45-degree angles to the centerline. This method is often called double-diagonal because a minimum of two layers is recommended, each occurring at opposing 45-degree angles. “Cold-molding” is now a relatively archaic term because the contrasting “hot-molded” method of building boats, which used ovens to heat and cure the resin, has not been widely used since World War II. Now almost all curing is done at room temperature. Other composite types include sheathed-strip, which uses (usually) a single layer of strips laid up parallel to the sheer line. The composite materials in question are then applied to the mold in the form of a thermosetting plastic (usually epoxy, polyester, or vinylester) and some kind of fiber cloth (fiberglass, kevlar, dynel, carbon fiber, etc), hence the finished hull is a “composite” of fiber and resin. These methods often give strength-to-weight ratios approaching that of aluminum, while requiring less specialized tools and skills.
* Steel-reinforced cement (ferrocement) – Strong and long lasting. First developed in the mid 19th Century in France. Used for building warships during the war. Extensively refined in New Zealand shipyards in the 1950s and the material became popular among amateur builders of cruising sailboats in the 1970s and 1980s, because the material cost was cheap although the labour time element was high. The weight of a finished ferrocement boat is comparable to that of a traditionally built wooden boat. As such they are often built for slower, more comfortable sea passages. Hulls built properly of ferrocement are more labor-intensive than steel or fiberglass, so there are few examples of commercial shipyards using this material. The inability to mass produce boats in ferrocement has led there to there being few examples around. Many ferrocement boats built in back yards have a rough, lumpy look, which has helped to give the material a poor reputation. The ferrocement method is easy to do, but it is also easy to do wrong. This has led to some disastrous ‘home-built’ boats. Properly designed, built and plastered ferrocement boats have smooth hulls with fine lines, and therefore are often mistaken for wooden or fiberglass boats. See also concrete ship, concrete canoe.

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Dinas Kesehatan Belum Terima Laporan Terkait Kematian 3 Anak Akibat DBD

Kematian tiga bocah warga Dusun Lambua dan Dusun Pompantu, Desa Lembanna, Kecamatan Bonto Bahari, Kabupaten Bulukumba, akibat penyakit Demam Berdarah Dangue (DBD) dalam sebulan terakhir, ternyata tidak diketahui Dinas Kesehatan (Dinkes) Bulukumba.  Tiga korban meninggal itu adalah Indi (3,5), warga Dusun Pompantu. Indi meninggal di RSUD Andi Sultan Daeng Radja, Sabtu (22/12). Dua korban lainnya, Yogi (5), warga Dusun Pompantu dan Kajang (4,5) (bukan Melly seperti diberitakan sebelumnya) warga Dusun Lambua, meninggal beberapa waktu lalu.

Informasi meninggalnya tiga bocah ini dilaporkan Ketua Kerukunan Pelajar dan Mahasiswa Desa Ara-Lembanna (Kepma), Sudirjaya, akhir pekan lalu. Kepada Tribun, Sudirjaya menyesalkan dinas kesehatan yang lamban menangani penyebaran penyakit DBD sehingga menyebabkan korban meninggal.  Dia juga mempertanyakan pungutan sebesar Rp 20 ribu per rumah jika rumah warga ingin penyemprotan, yang dibebankan petugas fogging.  Kepala Dinas Kesehatan Bulukumba, Rusni Sjufran, yang dikonfirmasi, Minggu (23/12), mengatakan, belum menerima laporan dari Puskesmas Bonto Bahari jika dalam satu bulan ini, sudah tiga warga Desa Lembanna meninggal akibat gigitan nyamuk Aedes Aegypty ini.  "Saya belum mendapat laporan mengenai hal itu. Kalau benar sudah tiga yang meninggal, maka kami akan mengeceknya apakah mereka meninggal murni karena DBD atau karena komplikasi dengan penyakit lain," jelasnya.  Namun, sekitar sejam kemudian Rusni Sjufran mengontak Tribun dan mengatakan Puskesmas Bonto Bahari tidak mengetahui adanya warga yang meninggal akibat DBD.  Menurutnya, jika memang ada warga yang meninggal karena DBD, berarti mereka tidak pernah dibawa ke puskesmas untuk mendapat perawatan.  "Saya sudah menelepon Kepala Puskesmas Bonto Bahari, Nurbaya, namun ia juga tidak mengetahui adanya warga yang meninggal akibat penyakit ini. Saya sudah memerintahkan dia mencari alamat rumah ketiga korban itu dan mengecek kebenarannya," ujarnya.  Ia menambahkan, Desa Lembanna sudah pernah di-fogging sekali. Jika penyebaran penyakit ini di desa tersebut sudah pada tahap mengkhawatirkan, seharusnya masyarakat melapor ke puskesmas agar dilakukan tindakan pencegahan.  Dikatakan, fogging (pengasapan) adalah jalan terakhir yang dilakukan untuk mencegah penyebaran penyakit DBD. Namun, tidak tiap saat dinkes bisa melakukan fogging di seluruh pemukiman penduduk. Fogging baru dilakukan jika dinkes menerima laporan dari warga mengenai adanya penyebaran DBD di suatu pemukiman. Dinkes sama sekali tidak memungut biaya fogging.  "Oknum yang meminta bayaran Rp 20 ribu per rumah mungkin dari pihak swasta. Dinkes sudah pernah melarang pihak swasta melakukan fogging di rumah-rumah warga jika meminta bayaran," jelasnya.  (Tribun)   Sumber : http://dinkes-sulsel.go.id/view.php?id=324&jenis=Bulukumba

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Terserang DBD, Tiga Warga Desa Lembanna Meninggal

Tiga warga Desa Lembanna, Kecamatan Bontobahari, Bulukumba meninggal dunia. Ketiga warga Bulukumba itu, Indi, Melly, dan Ogi, diduga meninggal karena terserang demam berdarah dengue (DBD). Warga di wilayah bagian timur Bulukumba ini semakin khawatir penyakit ini akan merenggut korban lagi.

"Kami semua khawatir apalagi dinas kesehatan belum ada tindakan setelah kejadian ini," kata salah seorang warga, Sudirjaya, hari ini. Sudirjaya yang juga Ketua Kerukunan Pelajar dan Mahasiswa Ara-Lembanna ini menyayangkan belum adanya respon dari dinas kesehatan setempat. Padahal, kata Sudirjaya, penyakit yang penularannya melalui nyamuk Aedes Aegypti ini sudah mewabah. Warga berharap sebelum korban semakin banyak, dinas kesehatan segera mengambil tindakan. Korban terakhir, Indi, yang usianya 3,5 tahun meninggal setelah sebulan terserang demam berdarah. Balita ini meninggal dunia di Rumah Sakit Umum (RSU) Sultan Daeng Radja Bulukumba. (Tribun) Sumber :

http://dinkes-sulsel.go.id/view.php?id=321&jenis=Bulukumba

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Tak Ada Lagi yang Berjaga di Leang Passea

sumber : http://www.panyingkul.com/view.php?id=427&jenis=kabarkita :: Asfriyanto ::

Jalan menuju Leang Passea dipenuhi semak belukar. Foto: Yadi Mulyadi. Leang (Gua) Passea di Kampung Ara, Kabupaten Bulukumba, adalah salah satu situs pekuburan kuno di Sulawesi. Di dalamnya, peti-peti mati yang dahulu tergantung di dinding gua, kini berserakan tak karuan bercampur tulang-belulang dan pecahan keramik kuno. Petugas kepurbakalaan yang menjaga tempat itu sudah meninggal dua tahun lalu, dan hingga kini belum ada penggantinya. Padahal, gua ini erat kaitannya dengan sejarah panjang orang Ara, sebagaimana dilaporkan citizen reporter Asfriyanto.(p!)

“Pakailah baju yang berlengan panjang, juga celana panjang. Jangan lupa bawa air minum,” ujar Abdul Hakim (70). “Jalan ke sana sudah penuh semak.” Saya pun mengiyakan, walaupun sedikit kecewa karena lelaki tua itu tidak akan ikut menemani rombongan kami. “Perintah” itu terbukti benar belaka, setelah kami menyusuri ujung jalan kampung Ara yang berbatu, melewati semak berduri yang merintang jalan – meninggalkan gerus di kulit yang terasa perih ketika bercampur keringat yang dipanggang sinar matahari. Karenanya, ketika sampai di Gua Passea, satu jam kemudian, sisa air minum di botol mineral itu pun tandas sudah. Gua Passea dalam kamus speleologi dikategorikan sebagai gua vertikal, yang berarti mulut gua tepat berada di permukaan tanah. Karena itu, menemukan gua ini gampang-gampang susah sebab mulut gua tidak kelihatan. Bagi yang telah terbiasa menuju ke sana, rimbunan kayu bitti yang tampak mencolok dari hamparan kerumunan resam, menjadi penuntun alami. Sebab, pohon besar itu tepat tumbuh di mulut gua. Gua itu menjadi begitu menarik bagi para peneliti, sebab selain mengambarkan karakterisitik gua pantai yang sangat jarang ditemukan, perut Gua Passea juga menyimpan misteri kebudayaan orang-orang Ara di masa lalu. Di dalam gua, setelah menuruni tangga alami sedalam lima meter, terbentanglah dunia lain – dunia bawah tanah, sekaligus dunia mitis orang-orang Ara. Betapa tidak, di antara kerlip stalagtit dan stalagmit, jejeran peti-peti mati serta tulang-belulang yang bercampur-baur dengan pecahan keramik kuno terhampar begitu saja di lantai gua. Nama Passea sendiri berarti kepiluan, mungkin merujuk pada istana orang-orang mati. Dua tahun lalu, ketika saya pertama kali ke gua ini, kondisinya tidaklah seseram dan separah itu. Permukaaan gua yang dahulunya rapi, sekarang sudah terbongkar dan teraduk di sana-sini. Konon banyak paccucuk (para pencari keramik kuno) yang membongkar permukaan lantai gua untuk mencari saladong (keramik kuno, Celadon) yang mungkin masih tersimpan. Tutup peti mati yang berbentuk perahu dengan ukiran yang indah itu pun sudah banyak yang hilang, konon diperjualbelikan untuk suvenir bagi para wisatawan yang berkunjung ke Ara ketika memesan perahu. Karena itu, saya pun menjadi paham mengapa jumlah peti kubur saat ini tinggal tiga buah, semuanya dalam keadaan rusak parah. Ada tiga peti mati yang tersisa di Leang Passea. Foto: Yadi Mulyadi. Seorang paccucuk asal Bantaeng, Ridwan (32), yang tidak sengaja bertemu dengan rombongan kami mengakui, ia sengaja datang menelusuri kawasan gua-gua pantai di sepanjang pesisir timur Bulukumba untuk mecari saladong. “Tapi tidak pernah saya ke Passea, Pak, karamakki,” ujarnya. Walaupun dia berkelit, namun laiknya observasi para sarjana arkelogi, saya pun tahu, para paccucuk itu kerap menggunakan tempat keramat sebagai daerah operasi. Justru karena tersimpan sesuatu yang berharga, tempat-tempat tertentu sengaja dikeramatkan. Buktinya, Ridwan juga mengakui bahwa “Di Tujua Bantaeng, saya pernah dapat saladong tiga pasang, dijual dua juta satu biji di Makassar”. Diduga, selain akibat perbuatan paccucuk, hancurnya situs penguburan kuno di Ara tidak telepas dari kisah DI/TII Kahar Muzakkar yang meluas ke daerah Ara pada awal tahun 1960-an. Abdul Hakim, yang di tuakan di Kampung Ara, menuturkan, “Dulu peti-peti itu digantung di dinding gua. Tapi mereka putuskan talinya. Banyak yang pecah. Dan masyarakat dilarang lagi baca-baca ke sana”. Praktis sejak saat itu, bahkan sampai saat ini, keberadaan Leang Passea dan segala bukti sejarah yang ada di dalamnya, hanya diketahui oleh segelintir orang tua dan para paccucuk saja. Bagi Abdul Hakim, keberadaan peti kubur di gua itu melengkapi sejarah budaya Ara yang panjang. Ia menduga sejarah nenek moyang mereka berasal dari gua tersebut. Namun bagi para ahli arkeologi, keberadaan peti kubur itu membuka tabir yang lebih luas lagi, yakni sejarah kebudayaan orang-orang Sulawesi Selatan awal. Pasalnya, jejak tradisi penguburan dalam gua umumnya ditemukan di kampung-kampung yang memiliki banyak mitologi pra-Islam. Mitologi ini kental dengan sisa-sisa praktik kebudayaan orang-orang Austronesia yang dipercaya pernah melakukan migrasi dari daratan Asia pada 3000 tahun yang lalu. Namun bukti untuk mengaitkan tradisi penguburan di Passea dengan bentuk penguburan serupa seperti di Tana Toraja, Kalumpang dan Malili, masih memerlukan penelitian lebih dalam. Selain itu, tidak ada pula yang tahu pasti, kapan tradisi penguburan dalam gua tersebut terhenti. “Mungkin ketika masuknya agama Islam yang disebarkan oleh Datok Tiro pada abad ke-17,” ujar Hasanuddin (45), salah seorang arkeolog. Pendapat itu mungkin ada benarnya, sebab jarak antara Kampung Ara dan Kampung Tiro – tempat Datok Tiro mengembangkan syiar Islam – tidaklah terlalu jauh. Leang Passea sebenarnya sudah terdaftar dalam situs-situs purba yang di lindungi oleh Balai Pelestarian Peninggalan Purbakala Makassar. Namun sangat disayangkan, dua tahun lalu juru pelihara yang menjaga tempat tersebut telah meninggal dunia dan sampai saat ini belum ada penggantinya. “Semakin rusak mi itu, Pak. Apalagi banyak bule yang kalau pesan kapal ke Ara, kalau dia tahu ada barang-barang kuno, biasanya juga ingin membeli,” jelas Abdul Hakim. Saat ini Abdul Hakim berpacu dengan waktu, menyelamatkan kepingan sejarah orang-orang Ara yang masih tersisa. Karena itu sejak tahun 2006, ia menyusun buku tentang pembuatan perahu pinisi dan sejarah orang Ara. Tentang Gua Passea, ia punya keluhan. “Banyak peneliti yang datang ke Passea, tapi tulisan-tulisan tentang gua itu tidak satu pun yang ditinggalkan pada kami di sini,” katanya. Mendengar hal itu, hati saya menjadi kecut dan tiba-tiba saja merasa menjadi terdakwa. Jangan-jangan paccucuk dan saya ternyata tidak jauh berbeda.(p!) *Citizen reporter Asfriyanto dapat dihubungi melalui email asfriyanto@yahoo.co.id

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