Tribe of Mount Bromo: The Traditional Culture of Tenggerese

Tengger tribe or Tenggerese are native people who live in Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in East Java. Tenggerese people are devout Hindus and slightly different to the one in Bali, they believe as a direct descendant of Majapahit kingdom.

Tengger tribes are known to be sticking to old Hindu customs and traditions that guide their live. These tribes are highly respected by people around because implementing simple and honest life. Their livelihoods are largely farmers and the language they use daily is the old Javanese language. They have no caste language, very different with Java language that is used generally have levels of language.

In Tenggerese social life there is social system serves to provide rules and guidance for Tenggerese people in running of daily life. In every village groups has an elder who was a leader of village, commonly called “kepala adat”. “Kepala Adat” is the most respected by Tengger people because he is the leader.

Legend

The origins of Tengger word comes from the combination of two words, namely "teng" and "ger". Both are endings of the two names, namely Roro Anteng and Joko Seger.

This is related to Legend of Roro Anteng and Joko Seger. According to local stories, it is believed that they are descendants of Roro Anteng, which is a daughter of Majapahit king and Joko Seger the son of a Brahmin. The origin name of Tengger tribe is taken from last name of Rara Anteng and Jaka Seger. Both build settlements and ruling in Tengger region.

Culture

Tengger tribe regularly hold some ceremonies and the biggest one is “Yadnya Kasada Festival" or ”Kasodo ceremony". Kasada ceremony is a traditional ceremony of Tengger tribe that is done every year when it entered Kasada month and precisely on day 14, start at midnight and finished at dawn.

On this festival Tengger tribe will throw offerings of crops such as vegetables, fruits, or farm animals such as chickens or goats and even some are throwing money into the crater of Mount Bromo. This is a ritual which only holds by Tengger tribe and no similar Kasada ceremonies around the world.

When the festival carried out, Mount Bromo is not only visited by Tenggerese from various corners of “Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park” but the Hindus of Bali who feel they are descendants of Majapahit Kingdom will come to this festival. Not only that, when the ceremony takes place, Pura Luhur Poten located between Mount Batok and Mount Bromo will be visited by many tourists.

Besides Yadnya Kasada festival, Tengger tribe also has other ceremonies such as “Karo” and “unan-unan”. Associated with the cycle of life, Tengger tribe also held a customary ritual that is: birth (sayut ceremony, cuplak puser ceremony, Tugel kuncung ceremony), married (walagara ceremony), death (entas-entas ceremony). 

Sacred Places of Tenggerese

There are some places that are used Tengger tribe to conduct religious activities or conducting traditional rituals. The places are Poten Temple and Widodaren Cave.

Poten Temple

Poten Temple is a Hindu temple of Tenggerese located in Tengger caldera area. The strategic location between Mount Batok and Mount Bromo, make Poten temple scenery was so beautiful to see. Poten temple will be crowded when Yadnya Kasada festival were done, which was attended by people from all over Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park and Bali.

So it is not surprising that on the Yadnya Kasada festival many local and foreign tourists who were present witnessed the Culture, Indigenous and Religion events of Tengger tribe.

Widodaren Cave

Widodaren cave is a holy water source and a sacred place to do ritual of Tenggerese. On the inside of cave there is a large place in which there are a large stone as the altar to place offerings and as a place of meditation to pray to Sang Hyang Widi (Tenggerese God).

Still around the cave, on the side of cave there are sources of water that never dries. According to Tengger people trust, water from these sources is a holy water that is important for their worship, for example is a ceremony of taking holy water from the Cave Widodaren (Medhak Tirta) conducted before Kasada festival. Besides, water from this source is believed by Tenggerese can make younger and help people to find his or her soul mate.

If you want to know more about Tengger tribe live, you can visit the place where they stay when you travel to Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park. You will be warmly welcomed and fully respected as Tenggerese are good and friendly people.