Badung The Center of Tourism

Badung Ready to Follow The Bali Arts Festival 2003

Towards the Bali Arts Festival (Pesta Kesenian Bali/PKB), I Made Sudarma the dulang and bokoran craftsman of Banjar Belawan, Abiansemal Dauh Yeh Cani Village, Badung, seems to be getting busy. This single 35 year-old man is engaged in making his handicrafts that will appear at PKB XXV. He was appointed to represent Badung Regency in this annual event.

The PKB event that starts on 14 June-13 July coincides with Galungan and Kuningan days, so this youngest of 6 brothers doesn’t have time to relax. He also serves an order from many regions. “My daily job is making dulang and bokoran. The orders never stop and there is a customer each day. The exhibition in PKB and the lead up to Galungan means the number of orders is rising,” said Made while confessing that he has followed the exhibition in Taman Budaya (Cultural Park), Denpasar since 1994.
Dulang is Balinese traditional tool that functions as the place for taking prani (an offering to Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa). Dulang is often also used to serve soda (food) for sulinggih/peranda (holy person). Lately, dulang is usually used as a place for snacks at wedding parties and the like. Hotels also often use this dulang that is made from wood.
There are many kinds of dulang but the structure is basically the same. It is generally shaped like a washbasin but it’s flat on the top. The middle/bottom parts are filled with stems that functioned as supporting feet. This makes dulang look classic and still in Balinese tradition.
Meanwhile bokoran, which also functions as an offering set like dulang, has a depth of 5-10cm with a diameter of up to 30-40cm. This tool is also used by housewives in their daily activities, like visiting the dead or presenting the religious ceremony in their village.
The decorative motifs of bokoran and dulang consist of many kinds of bas-relief that are painted with prade (gold colour) or the dye that is ordered by the costumer. The decoration of bokoran and dulang that are made by Made is carved of bun pepunggelan, karang tapel, karang bomo, and mas-masan. After it is carved in the Balinese style, it is painted with prade so it will look glossy. He uses 3 types of prade that is plastic prade, Japanese prade, and prade gede.
When asked how to make it, this High School graduate who took up this job in 1987 explains, first, the wood is formed according to the shape. This hard form is then refined by using a grindstone. The dulang and bokoran are then filled with carved jewelry that is suitable to its quality. To make it more glossy and luxurious, it should be brushed and then painted with prade.
According to I Made Sudarma, even though the shape and size of bokoran and dulang are almost the same, in quality it can be divided into three. First is economy quality, which uses wani wood (local wood) with big shape of carving. The prade used is plastic prade. The second is middle quality, which uses suar wood with quite small smooth carving and uses prade Japan. The last is luxurious quality that uses ketewel wood or cepaka with small and smooth carving and painted with prade gede.
Wood as the main material for dulang and bokoran is gained from Tabanan, Denpasar, and other districts. I Made Sudarma is helped by 15 daily workers working for the order, 12 of them as carpenters making the decoration and the rest as the prade painters. “ These children work after school,” he said.
The time needed to make dulang and bokoran depends on the quality and type of wood. For example, for economic quality is worked in more or less 5 days, meanwhile, the middle and luxurious quality needs more than 7 days. The cost of the labor isn’t the same but is suitable to the types and quality of carving. But, according to I Made Sudarta, they get between Rp. 8.000 and Rp. 12.000 per day.
How much do they cost? “Economy quality sells for Rp. 100.000 to Rp. 200.000, middle quality is Rp. 200.000 to Pr. 400.000 and luxury quality is above Rp. 400.000,” he said. He also adds that besides orders around his village, he also receives orders from Gianyar including Ubud and Singapadu. There are also orders from Badung, such as Kuta, Jimbaran, and Nusa Dua and also from markets in Denpasar City to Sanur.
Made’s work has also been ordered by many hotel employees in Nusa Dua and Sanur. “I am really proud, because my handicrafts are also bought by foreign tourists, form Italy, and USA. They usually order big size dulang with painted carvings, while the Japanese tourists often order the household items such as plates, glasses and spoons that are made from wood. There was once a Singaporean who took dulang samples, but hasn’t ordered yet. “Yeah, may be he cancelled it,” he said with a dejected voice. (BTN/015)

See Bali's Regencies : Badung : Badung Ready to Follow The Bali Arts Festival 2003 Gianyar :Belega Village Bamboo Handicrafts Bangli : Bangli Regency Will Give their Best Performance Klungkung : Bullet Cases from Kamasan Karangasem : Karangasem to Perform war Dance Buleleng : Buleleng Mixes ‘Drama Gong’ and Modern Theater Jembrana : Jembarna at Bali Art Festival Tabanan : Tabanan Prepares for Bali Arts Festival Denpasar : Denpasar’s Representative in PKB XXV