Raja Ampat - Paradise Islands

The Richest Marine Habitat in the World
The Raja Ampat, or “Four Kings,” archipelago encompasses more than 9.8 million acres of land and sea off the northwestern tip of Indonesia’s West Papua Province. Located in the Coral Triangle, the heart of the world’s coral reef biodiversity, the seas around Raja Ampat possibly hold the richest variety of species in the world.

The area’s massive coral colonies show that its reefs are resistant to threats like coral bleaching and disease —threats that now jeopardize the survival of corals around the world. In addition, Raja Ampat’s strong ocean currents sweep coral larvae across the Indian and Pacific Oceans to replenish other reef ecosystems. Raja Ampat’s coral diversity, resilience to threats, and ability to replenish reefs make it a global priority for marine protection.

Survey Confirms Highest Marine Biodiversity on Earth

In 2002, The Nature Conservancy and its partners conducted a scientific survey of the Raja Ampat Islands to collect information on its marine ecosystems, mangroves, and forests. The survey brought Raja Ampat’s total number of confirmed corals to 537 species— an incredible 75% of all known coral species. In addition, 899 fish species were recorded, raising the known total for Raja Ampat to an amazing 1,074. On land, the survey found lush forests, rare plants, limestone outcroppings, and nesting beachesfor thousands of sea turtles.

Though human impacts here are less severe than elsewhere in Indonesia, Raja Ampat’s natural resources are endangered by over fishing and destructive fishing, turtle poaching, and unsustainable logging. The Indonesian government recently established Raja Ampat as a separate administrative unit, which will give communities a greater say in managing the natural resources upon which their livelihoods depend. This structure also offers an important opportunity to include conservation in the spatial planning of the newly formed local government

Ensuring Conservation through Partnerships

To address these issues, the Conservancy launched a new project to protect Raja Ampat, working in close partnership with the government and communities to: 1) contribute to a comprehensive conservation action plan to protect Raja Ampat’s reefs and forests; 2) help incorporate marine protected area management into long-term planning and policy; and, 3) establish a network of marine protected areas for Raja Ampat.

The Conservancy’s ultimate goal is to protect Raja Ampat’s magnificent reefs while sustaining the livelihoods of local people. Raja Ampat includes the four large islands of Waigeo, Batanta, Salawati, and Misool, plus hundreds of smaller islands. The archipelago is part of an area known as the Bird’s Head functional seascape, which also contains Cenderawasih Bay, the largest marine national park in Indonesia.

Yogyakarta Kraton Wedding Event - Nyantri - 2013 Indonesian Royal Wedding

Introducing the Kraton Life 

Nyantri aims at acquainting the Sultan’s future son/daughter-in-law to the life of the Kraton of Yogyakarta. In the course of this ritual, s/he will be taught the way to live as a family member of the Kraton of Yogyakarta. “Nyantri may be seen as a training session for the Kraton’s future son or daughter-in-law,” said KRT Pujaningrat, a Kraton relative and cultural expert, in his residence in Mangkubumen area. Aside from teaching how things work in the Royal Palace, Nyantri is also carried out so that the Kraton may see the daily life of the future son/daughter-in-law, assessing all the behaviors and attitudes displayed during the process. 

In the old times, Nyantri would be held for 40 consecutive days. It has been shortened since the reign of Sultan Hamengku Buwono IX. This is because the Kraton understands and tolerates the future son/daughter-in-law’s need to do other activities, such as work. The person who would provide the training for the future son/daughter-in-law in the past was the Pepatih Dalem (the Kraton’s Prime Minister) but, as that position has been abolished, it will be a Kraton elderly appointed by the Sultan.

As time changes, nowadays Nyantri is held for one day only. The groom in this wedding will be taught about the customs and traditions in the Royal Palace, such as how to speak in a specific level of Javanese to the Sultan, how to prostrate before him, and how to do ngapu rancang (the Javanese gesture showing respect and courteousness). He will also be trained to do laku ndhodhok, which is a certain walking gait, in a squatting position, as a form of good manners. 

Nyantri will start in the Mangkubumen, a royal mansion located in the west of the Royal Palace and currently used by Widya Mataram University as a campus. From there, the groom and his family will be picked up by the Utusan Dalem (the Sultan’s envoy) and brought to Bangsal Kasatriyan. The Utusan Dalem will take the groom and his family using horse carriages in the accompaniment of a cavalry. The route to be taken will be from the Mangkubumen to Magangan, then continued to Bangsal Kasatriyan on foot.

In Bangsal Kasatriyan, the groom will have been awaited by the princes of the Kraton. Starting then until before the Akad Nikah (the wedding solemnization), it is where the bridegroom will be staying. In the meantime, the bride will be preparing herself in Sekar Kedhaton. 

It is in this Nyantri process as well that the delegates from the five districts in Yogyakarta Province (Sleman, Bantul, Gunung Kidul, Kulonprogo, and Yogyakarta City) will present to the Kraton the appurtenances for the installation of the Tarub (temporary buildings for wedding guests) and the Bleketepe (woven coconut leaves for walls, roofs, etc.). These appurtenances will be in the form of agricultural products such as coconuts, rice plants, and sugarcanes. 

The bride will also perform the ritual of Nyantri, but it will be different from that for the groom. For her, the Nyantri will consist of activities to prepare for the wedding.

Yogyakarta Kraton Wedding Event - Nyekar - 2013 Indonesian Royal Wedding

Nyekar, literally means ‘to strew flowers’, is a tradition of visiting the graveyards of the late ancestors. Prior to holding a royal wedding, the Kraton of Yogyakarta will firstly conduct the tradition. Nyekar is to be carried out before the wedding day. It is commonly carried prior to the Wisuda Gelar (the Bestowal of New Title) ceremony and the wedding D-day.

In connection to the Wisuda Gelar ceremony, Nyekar is to be carried out by visiting the graveyards of the ancestors who had similar names as the ones which will be bestowed on the couple. The ritual aims to offer prayers to God to forgive the ancestors’ sins and to allow them into heaven.

Meanwhile, the Nyekar ritual carried out before the wedding day aims to pray for God’s blessing as well as to offer prayers to the ancestors.

The things to be paid attention to during the ritual of Nyekar are the order of visit to give and the outfits to wear. The graveyard visit order, which depicts whose graveyard to visit in order, cannot be changed. The order starts from the graveyard of Panembahan Senopati in Kotagede, followed by visiting the graveyard of Sultan Agung in Imogiri.

The outfits to wear are traditional attires. The bride should wear kebaya, a Javanese traditional cloth for woman, which consists of a blouse and batik wrapped skirt. Meanwhile, the groom should wear a peranakan attire (a special type of apparel that is usually worn by the Kraton’s abdi dalems). These clothes come as a manifestation of cultural preservation while being also expected to enhance the devotion while praying.

Alike the common ritual, the activity to carry out during Nyekar within the set of wedding events is offering prayer. The prayers are led by the Abdi Dalems. Following the prayer offering, the couple will then spread flowers onto the graveyards.