It's more than half a century, skin starts to wrinkle, and a lot of gray hair. The old man is Supiyan, 60. Grandfather of four grandchildren who live in the village of Truko, Karangsari Village, Sempu Kecamatan District, it's been more than 20 years of pursuing the craft of making jaranan equipment, like a lumping horse made of woven bamboo, cakilan for buto jaranan, barong head, and a number of other jaranan art equipment.
The skill of making jaranan art equipment is no coincidence. Art talent flows in his blood from his late biological father Sumarto, who used to be known as a dance artist in Banyuwangi Regency.
In the midst of his busy life as a farm laborer, Muslim husband, 52, it still takes time to make crafts for jaranan arts at home. This activity was carried out with the children, grandchild, and his nephew.
“Instead of being unemployed at home, enjoy making crafts while teaching children to be skilled," he said. Supiyan has a set of campursari horsepower starting with lumping horses, cakilan, barong well, wulung lion, kebo marcuet, along with costumes complete with gamelan equipment, like saron, drum, Get together, gong, violin, trumpet, and kecrek.
Not only that, he also has 16 dancer and 16 gamelan or wiyogo musicians. Even though he has become a master in the art of jaranan, Supiyan is not bored. He still accepts the making of the typical Banyuwangi horse lumping and barong crafts.
“The order is still there, but not as many as before,He said. In one of the rooms in his house that measures three meters by eight meters, Supiyan with children, grandchild, and his nephew is working on making a piggy bank barong.
Barongan created creations, it's to complete his jaranan art performance. Barongan piggy banks are made the same as barong Banyuwangi. The head resembles a wild boar animal. On the body it resembles a Balinese barong with two humps and a tail on the back.
Barong piggy bank will be played by two players, namely in front by holding the head of the piggy bank and behind. The difference, On the back of the barong, a Garuda bird crown is made to resemble the Banyuwangi barong. “This is my newest creation, and is still a half -finished process,he explained.
The piggy bank barongan was made about two weeks ago. The idea of making a barong piggy bank from an existing barong-barong show attraction. Previously, he also made barong kebo marcuet, namely the buffalo-headed barong.
Jaranan art performances cannot be separated from the occult and spooky elements. But actually, The making of various barongan is just for entertainment. Even, so that the viewers don't get bored, tucked in the art of campursari.
"If not in collaboration", audiences get bored quickly and are reluctant to watch local arts," he said. In making barong piggy bank, Supiyan uses ingredients that are easily found and available in the market, like pieces of bamboo, carpet, cloth, as well as beads.
It costs quite a bit to make one barong. From frame to finished, cost around Rp 7 million, even that still doesn't include the cost of manufacturing. "Need patience, accuracy, and patience," he explained.
Even though it's already 20 more years in the world of jaranan art, The grandfather of four grandchildren has never experienced a strange mystical event. For him, Jaranan art equipment is a means of da'wah that has an implied message.
That is what Wali Songo has done in spreading Islam in Java. As an artist, Supiyan will continue to make and pass on the art of his ancestors to the next generation, especially in his family. So, every performance and making jaranan equipment always involves the family. "I hope the family inherits,"hope". (radar)
