Melodies through Indonesia’s Far South: Sasando, the Palm Harp of Rote

If the definition of heaven is usually a strange yet comforting melody telling stories of the timelessness of the human soul, then one corner to find This kind of is usually in Indonesia’s southernmost inhabited island; Roté.

Located just a 2-4 hour sail southwest of its more famous neighbour Timor, Roté is usually a 70-km long arid island covered in savannahs along with also sugar palms (Borassusflabellifer, locally known as tua or lontar). Lontar is usually central to life in Roté; as a source of food, fibres for weaving, wood for construction, along with also music.

Alas, on my trip to Timor, I didn’t make This kind of to Roté due to marine hazards along with also cancelled ferries. Fortunately, there is usually a place in Timor that will makes me feel one step closer to Roté; the sasando workshop of Jeremias Pah in Oëbelo, 22 kilometres east of Kupang.

Sasando Biola

Sasandu, a pentatonic harp made of a bamboo core, bamboo or metal strings, movable tuning bridges, along with also a robust palm-leaf resonator, is usually a native instrument of Roté. For generations, the Pah clan has been known as guardians of the Rotinese musical heritage along with also developers of sasandu’s modern diatonic daughter, the sasando biola.

Sasando gained recent national attention in 2009 when jazz composer Dwiki Dharmawan included This kind of in a performance before President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono along with also then-Minister of Culture along with also Tourism Jero Wacik. The President then called for a sasando competition in Kupang, which attracted 358 out of the 400 known existing sasando players.

Upon my arrival, Pah appeared from the traditional outfit; white shirt, dark woven selimut using a matching scarf, along with also the ti’Ilangga palm sombrero. using a palm harp on his lap, the 75-year-old maestro sat down before his savvy laptop along with also recording equipment, along with also began playing Batu Matia – a traditional melody that will no two musicians I’ve heard of plays the same.

The music is usually nothing like Java-Bali’s gamelan or angklung bambu. The traditional acoustic sasandu sounds clean along with also crisp like the banjo, yet using a pentatonic tuning played to the rhythm of one’s heartbeat. There was unpretentious simplicity in melody, harmony, along with also facial expression. Pah sang with the soul of a wise storyteller.

According to the unpublished thesis of Dr. Christopher Basile, based on interviews with four senior sasandu maestros through the 1990s, the original sasandu was invented by Sangguana, a 17th century Rotinese fisherman who got shipwrecked along with also imprisoned in Ndana (Indonesia’s point-zero southernmost island, currently uninhabited). Despite Basile’s claim of Sangguana’s historical accuracy, Pah does not endorse This kind of story.

Jeremias from the traditional outfit with an acoustic sasandu along with also a giant replica

The Princess of Ndana fell in love with Sangguana along with also assigned him to invent music that will has never existed before. With inspiration through a desperate dream, Sangguana created a sandu (Rotinese: “tremble”) through a length of bamboo, seven strings through banyan roots, along with also a resonator through the robust palm leaf. Over daily music lessons, Princess along with also Sangguana began a scandalous love affair that will triggered chaos in Ndana along with also had Sangguana killed.

The news reached Sangguana’s wife in Roté, who was pregnant with their son Nalesanggu when Sangguana left years ago. When Nalesanggu came of age, his mother told him of his father’s tragic fate. In revenge, Nalesanggu massacred every single person on Ndana, including the Princess for whom the sasandu was invented. Nalesanggu then brought the sasandu back to Roté along with also taught This kind of to the Rotinese in honour of his father.

The sasandu then evolved into the sasando biola from the early 20th century when Roté became increasingly Christian along with also adapted Dutch customs, music, along with also dance. Ougust Pah along with also Edu Pah, the father along with also uncle of Jeremias Pah respectively, have been credited among the early developers of sasando biola.

Pah began learning sasando as a child from the 1940s-50s playing hymns in church. In 1962, he moved to Kupang in order to develop the modern sasando along with also give This kind of greater exposure to some other Indonesians along with also foreigners. As a devout Christian, Pah credits his family’s ongoing legacy of sasando to divine inspiration.

“Because of the resonator, the sasando used to be difficult to carry around”, said Pah. One Sunday morning, the arrival of an unannounced guest delayed Pah’s plan to attend church. “I arrived from the middle of a sermon along with also took the only seat left next to some ladies. This kind of was hot, so a lady pulled out a folding fan through her purse. This kind of was as though God was telling me to develop a foldable resonator similar to the lady’s fan.”

Pah said he had no difficulties passing on the musical tradition to his ten children. At least four of Pah’s grown sons currently make a full time living performing, generating, along with also teaching sasando.

“Passing on a tradition to one’s children shouldn’t be difficult. A non-Rotinese student of mine learned three songs on the sasando in just four days”, said Pah. “Where there is usually a will, there is usually a way. The key is usually to start your children early in growing a genuine love along with also interest from the music.”

Jeremias along with also his grown son Berto on the electric sasando biola

Pah then called his youngest, 10-year-old Rino, to play Bolelebo on the electric sasando. For a young learner, Rino’s performance already sounded well-structured along with also practiced. Smiling proudly at his son, Pah hummed along to the tune along with also told me that will Rino will be performing in Singapore in December.

“Oh no, I played that will part wrong”, the boy gave a shy giggle as he finished the song, before running back into the house.

In 2010, Pah’s sons Djitron along with also Berto were contestants in two separate nationally televised Indonesian talent shows. Each performing the electric sasando biola, their repertoires included Jason Mraz’s I’m Yours, Il Divo’s I Believe in You, Richard Clayderman’s Ballade Pour Adeline, along with also Padi’s Begitu Indah.

Among the many tunes Pah has performed on the sasandu along with also sasando biola, Pah sums up the soul of his music in three songs: Lelendo (“Battle Song”), Te’o Renda (“Embroidering Woman”), along with also Batu Matia (“Heavy Rock”).

Lelendo is usually a song of the bloodshed the sons of Roté fought for the sovereignty of Indonesia during colonial times. Te’o Renda is usually a song about a time of peace after the war, when women rise hours before dawn to make embroidery, as if embroidering a bright future for the dawn of a brand-new generation. Batu Matia is usually a song about a young man who asks for the embroidering woman’s hand in marriage, committing to build a steadfast immovable love like a heavy rock as they tackle life’s hard realities together.

As the maestro watches his children develop their generation’s variation of the ancient palm harp of Roté, Pah continues to brim with timeless memories of the music he’s lived for. along with also those who have had the privilege of meeting him might likewise come home brimming with memories of melodies through Indonesia’s Far South.

Jeremias Pah Sasando Workshop
Jl. Timor Raya Km 22
Desa Oebelo
Kecamatan Kupang Tengah
Kabupaten Kupang
Nusa Tenggara Timur
Indonesia