VO LU M E 1 7 N O.

4 D e c em b e r 2 0 0 8

the journal of
the asian arts society
of australia

TAASA Review

WATER

contents
Volume 17 No.4 December 2008

ED ITOR IAL

TA A S A RE V I E W

Ann Proctor

THE ASIAN ARTS SOCIETY OF AUSTRALIA INC.

Abn 64093697537 Vol. 17 No. 3, December 2008
ISSN 1037.6674

TEMP LES, W ELLS AND GAR D ENS TH E CENTR AL R O L E OF WAT E R I N I N DI A

Registered by Australia Post. Publication No. NBQ 4134

Frederick Asher
e di torI A L email: [email protected]
7

VANISHED BAR KS SAIL AGAIN

Julian Cribb

THE SYMBOLISM O F WATER IN ANCIENT EAST J AVANES E A RT

Lydia Kievan

12

BOATS, CROCODILE ANCESTORS AND MERMAID MYTHS IN THE ART AND CRAFT OF TIMOR-LESTE

Josefa Green (convenor) Tina Burge

Melanie Eastburn Sandra Forbes Ann MacArthur
Jim Masselos Ann Proctor Susan Scollay
Sabrina Snow Christina Sumner

Joanna Barrkman

design / layout

16

THE WATER FESTIVAL IN CAMBO D IA

printing

Gill Green

John Fisher Printing

18

WATER P UP P ETRY: VIETNAMESE SO U L

Vuong Duy Bien

19

N OTES ON D R AGO N-R U L ER S O F TH E WATER S

Adrian Snodgrass

22

EX HIBITION P R EVIEW: T HE GO LDE N J O UR N E Y: J A PA N E S E A R T F R OM AU S T R A L IA N C OL L E C T ION S

James Bennett

24

IN THE P UBLIC D O MAIN: DA DA N G C HR I S TA N TO, WA S HI N G T H E W OU N D

Melanie Eastburn, with Dadang Christanto

25

US IN G THE WAT ER CH AR ACTER IN AR CH ITECTU R AL D ES I G N

or omit any article or advertisements submitted and require

Graham Humphries

indemnity from the advertisers and contributors against damages

26

R OX AN NA BR OW N ( 1 9 4 6 2 0 0 8 )

Pamela Gutman

27

EN D OF YEAR M ESSAGE

Judith Rutherford

28

R EC ENT TAAS A ACTIVITIES

29

TAAS A MEMBERS D IAR Y

30

W HAT S ON: DE C E MB E R 2008 F E BRUA RY 2009

General editor, Josefa Green

Guest editor this issue, Ann Proctor
publications committee

Ingo Voss, VossDesign

Published by The Asian Arts Society of Australia Inc.

PO Box 996 Potts Point NSW 2011
www.taasa.org.au
Enquiries: [email protected]
TAASA Review is published quarterly and is distributed to members
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COVER
The malar, the largest sailing boat in Bengal, prepares to set sail for a sunset cruise at
the confluence of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers. Photo: Rolex Awards/Heine Pedersen

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T A A S A committee

EDITORIAL
Ann Proctor, Guest Editor

Judith Ruther for d Pr esident

Collector and specialist in Chinese textiles

G i ll G r een Vice Pr esident

Art historian specialising in Cambodian culture

A NN GUILD TREASU RER

Former Director of the Embroiders Guild (UK)

KATE JOHNSTON SECR ETA RY

Intellectual property lawyer with

an interest in Asian textiles
JO CE LYN C HEY

Visiting Professor, Department of Chinese Studies,

University of Sydney; former diplomat

The wise find pleasure in water: the virtuous

find pleasure in hills. Or so said Confucius.
Without claiming to be wise, it has indeed been
a pleasure to source various articles on the
subject of water, from both scholars familiar
to TAASA Review readers and from writers
new to the journal. Their contributions, I hope,
will arouse your interest and knowledge of
the fundamental role that water has played in
the development of culture, sacred space and
ritual across Asia and through the ages.

M att Cox

Study Room Co-ordinator, Art Gallery of New South

Wales, with a particular interest in Islamic Art of
Southeast Asia
Philip C ourtenay

Former Professor and Rector of the Cairns Campus,

James Cook University, with a special interest in
Southeast Asian ceramics
M E LANIE EAS TBUR N

Curator of Asian art, National Gallery of Australia

Sandra Forbes

Editorial consultant with long-standing interest

in South and Southeast Asian art
Josefa Green

General editor of TAASA Review. Collector of Chinese

ceramics, with long-standing interest in East Asian
art as student and traveller
G E RALD INE HAR D MAN

Collector of Chinese furniture and Burmese lacquerware

ANN PROCTOR

Lecturer in Asian Art, Sydney University

and the National Art School, Sydney
A NN ROBER TS

Art consultant specialising in Chinese

ceramics and works of art
SABRIN A S NOW

Has a long association with the Art Gallery of New

South Wales and a particular interest in the arts of China
CHRISTIN A S UMN ER

Principal Curator, Design and Society,

Powerhouse Museum, Sydney
Hon. Auditor

Rosenfeld Kant and Co

state representatives
Australian Capital Territory
Robyn Maxwell

Visiting Fellow in Art History, ANU;

Senior Curator of Asian Art, National Gallery of Australia
Northern Territory
Joanna Barrkman

Curator of Southeast Asian Art and Material Culture,

Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory
Queensland
Suhanya R affel

Head of Asian and Pacific Art, Queensland Art Gallery

South Australia
James Bennett

Curator of Asian Art, Art Gallery of South Australia

Victoria
Carol C ains

Curator of South and Southeast Asian Art,

National Gallery of Victoria International
TASMANIA
Kate Brittlebank

We are fortunate that Professor F.M. Asher

from the University of Minnesota, the author
of many books on Indian art and architecture,
has written an article for this issue. Readers
may remember that his photograph appeared
in the March 2008 issue of TAASA Review
beside Chaya Chandrasekhar and Khanh
Trinh (both of AGNSW) at the CIHA, the
international conference of art historians, held
in January 2008. In his article, Professor Asher
has provided a comprehensive discussion on
the significance of water for pleasure, power
and ritual in the Indian context; it provides
the perfect background for understanding the
way in which water is regarded in Hindu and
Islamic societies.
Julian Cribb, a familiar contributor, has written
about the traditional boats of Bangladesh
a country that immediately conjures up
associations with water. He introduces us to
the work of Runa Khan Marre and her Rolex
award winning endeavour to preserve the
disappearing skills of the traditional boat
builders of Bangladesh. One of the stunning
images he has provided is on the cover of
this issue.
Amongst the new contributors is Lydia
Kieven, whose PhD research involves the
narrative relief sculpture of Java. She offers
new insights into the way water symbolism
has been transformed and syncretised
through the absorption of Hindu and
Buddhist religions into local beliefs. Other
first time contributors include the director
of the National Puppet Theatre of Vietnam,
Vuong Duy Bien and Graham Humphries,
a Canberra based architect. Vuong Duy Bien
raises the intriguing, and as yet unanswered
question, as to why water puppetry, a
particularly clever and enchanting form of
entertainment, developed in Vietnam and
not in other wet rice producing societies.
Australian architect, Graham Humphries,
recently won a contract to construct a
building complex in Changchun, China. He

relates the way in which the serendipitous

use of the Chinese character for water in the
design concept helped clinch the deal for his
company.
The Brisbane based, Indonesian born,
Dadang Christantos moving work Heads
from the North, in the sculpture garden
of the National Gallery of Australia, is the
In the Public Domain piece for this issue.
Melanie Eastburn and Dadang discuss the
different metaphorical uses for water that the
artist incorporates in his performances and
installations that address issues of political
and social oppression.
In their articles, Gill Green and Adrian
Snodgrass have focused on the incorporation
of Buddhist water related imagery into
the cultures of Cambodia and Japan, their
respective areas of expertise. Gill Green
describes the water festival in Cambodia that
occurs at the end of the rainy season, while
Dr Snodgrass article, Notes on DragonRulers of the Waters, provides an East Asian
perspective. He discusses, amongst other
things, the way in which the body of the
dragon is assimilated into a conceptualisation
of the country of Japan. Albeit in another
cultural context, there is an interesting
parallel in the stories Joanna Barrkman
relates of the sacred crocodile ancestor in
Timor-Leste and the way in which the shape
of that island is imagined as crocodile based.
Her article, Boats, Crocodile Ancestors and
Mermaid Myths in the Art and Craft of
Timor-Leste, gives an enticing introduction
to the exhibition currently on show at the
Museum and Art Gallery Northern Territory
until July 2009.
Another exhibition that will attract the
interest of TAASA members opening March
2009 at the Art Gallery of South Australia is
reviewed by the Curator of Asian Art, James
Bennett. Whilst not directly related to water
issues, the Golden Journey exhibition will be
full of treasures from Australian collections.
For those interested in pursuing the water
theme further, the 3rd SSEASR Conference
being held in Bali, Indonesia on 3-6 June,
2009 will be on the topic Waters in South
& Southeast Asia: Interaction of Culture and
Religion. For further information, go to
www.sseasr.org. And, finally, the elemental
theme will continue next year with a TAASA
Review issue focusing on Fire. Watch out
for it!

Lecturer in Asian History, School of History and Classics,

University of Tasmania

TEMPLES, WELLS AND GARDENS THE CENTRAL ROLE OF WATER IN INDIA

Frederick Asher
Doorway of Nachna temple, c. 475. Photo: F. M. Asher

ravelling by land into India across

the Hindu Kush mountains from the
region we think of today as the Middle
East, one encounters a remarkable climate
change. A monsoon climate predominates,
one that brings if the monsoon succeeds
heavy rains for three months of the year and
essentially dry weather the rest of the time.
That dependence on the regularity of rains
for agriculture, as well as concerns that rains
might be insufficient or excessive, stimulated
a special relationship with water, one that is
often manifest in the art of India.
We see this as early as the time of the
Harappan Civilization, that is, about the third
millennium BCE, when a water ideology, as
Gregory Possehl has described it, prevailed.
A system for water delivery and drains was
developed, and the structure called the Great
Bath at Mohenjo-daro may have been used for
ritual or communal bathing. It is, however,
particularly in later times that we see water
playing major roles in the monuments of
India, generally in ways that suggest the
control of water, which often serves as a
metaphor for other sorts of control. Here I
will discuss three kinds of monuments, the
Indian temple, step wells, and gardens.
Temples and Water Imagery

Temples may have considerable antiquity in

India, with the arrival in India of Indo-European

peoples in about 1900 BCE. Their structures,

however, were much more likely to be brick
altars used in the course of sacrifice than formal
temples, such as the earliest surviving ones
dating to the early fifth century. Right from
the beginning, water plays a significant role
in the imagery of temples, perhaps even a role
fundamental to the power temples were (and
still are) understood to carry. For the temple
is not a structure intended to accommodate
worshipers like the religious architecture
of West Asian religious, that is, Judaism,
Christianity and Islam. Rather, the temple is
understood as gods residence: not just a shrine
for an image of the deity, but a home of the
very deity itself. So in the course of worship,
when the devotee stands at the doorway and
beholds the deity, the worshiper understands
that she or he is, in fact, gazing upon the deity.
These doorways, which frame the view of the
deity, are replete with water symbolism.
Surrounding temple doorways, for example
the doorway of a temple at Nachna dating
c. 475, are several bands, called shakhas in
Sanskrit terminology used to identify the
many components of a temple. The innermost
of these bands on the Nachna temple, as on
most other temples of northern India, is a
richly carved lotus creeper emanating from
the navel of a potbellied dwarf. The lotus
carries multiple meanings: among them, it
recalls a creation story in which all living

things were generated from a primordial

lotus. And the navel from which it originates
carries a double meaning. Biologically, of
course, it is the vestige of attachment to a
mother, a vestige of birth; it is also a locus
of truth, for in Indo-European thought, the
navel of the earth is the place from which
truth emanates.
The next band shows amorous pairs
(mithunas), suggesting the sexual play that
leads to (pro)creation. Finally, personifications
of the two major rivers of northern India,
the Ganges, indicated by her crocodile-like
makara mount, and the Jamuna, indicated by
her tortoise mount, appear at the base of the
door jambs, below the amorous couples and
flanking the trident-bearing door guardians.
The rivers were major thoroughfares for
transport, as was water over much of the premodern world. But they were also invested
with a sanctity that continues in the minds
of Indians today. A dip in the Ganges, for
example, is believed to expiate a lifetime of
sins, especially if that dip is taken at a sacred
locus such as the confluence of the Ganges
and Jamuna at modern Allahabad, called
Prayag (meaning confluence) in ancient texts.
This aquatic symbolism had two roles. It
recalled the importance and fragile nature
of rivers. When the rivers were in spate, the
transport of critical goods would have been
disrupted, impacting on economic stability;
conversely, rivers could dry up, leaving
agriculture without a source of irrigation.
Rivers made the cities located on them

Queens Step Well, Patan. Mid 11th century. Steps descending to the step well. Photo: A. Proctor

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

Queens Step Well, Patan. Mid 11th century. Photo: A. Proctor

water for daily consumption. In addition, a

unique type of well was developed in western
India, a type known as step wells (baolis in
Hindi). In such structures a set of stairs leads
downward to a large deep tank, so a person
needing water could descend the stairs to
the water level and dip a pot into the water.
Such step wells were often associated with
temples or were extensively embellished with
temple-like structures, and so the experience of
collecting water became a sacred one, not just
one that filled a utilitarian need.
For example, at Roda, in the northern part of
Gujarat state, two eighth century temples and
between them the foundation of a third small
temple face an enormous step well: a structure
whose steps alone create a rhythmic pattern
on the surface of the walls. In addition, there
are miniature shrines precisely in the form
of the temples standing above at ground
level. As the water reflects an image, so these
temples at the corners of the step well reflect
the full-size temples at wells edge.

vulnerable to attack by enemy navies. Thus

propitiating the rivers must have seemed
especially important. At the same time, the
water allusions on temple doorways must be
seen, in the context of the amorous couples
and the lotus creepers, as underscoring the
generative power of the temple. The Sanskrit
term for the inner sanctum that houses the
deity is garbha-griha, literally meaning wombhome or womb-chamber.
Step Wells

Temples have yet another association with

water. That is, they are often located at
sacred sites known as tirthas, literally fords or
crossings. In some cases, they are literal fords,
that is, places where a river may be crossed
along a route of trade and pilgrimage. But the
notion of tirtha extends to a sacred crossing,
where the mundane world meets the celestial
world. Thus many temples are located in close
proximity to rivers or, in the case of the famed
Shore temple at Mamallapuram, at the seaside.

At some sites, a natural spring serves as the

focal point for a temple or group of temples,
as it does at Mahakut, close to Badami in
Karnatka. Such locations served the needs of
travellers, but all who visited temples, or who
do so today, are travellers of sorts, pilgrims
seeking encounter with the deity.
When natural sources of water were not part of
the temples natural setting, tanks were often
provided, that is, large pools in which devotees
could bathe and thus cleanse themselves prior
to standing before the deity. But in the desert
regions of western India, particularly in the
modern states of Gujarat and Rajasthan, there
are few rivers; indeed, in all Rajasthan only
one river flows throughout the year. Manmade tanks would seldom be filled because
underground sources of water are deep
and rain is scarce. Thus access to water was
especially critical. Deep shafts, conventional
wells, could be sunk to the level of the water
table, and that was frequently done to provide

Some step wells are even more elaborate, most

notably the Queens Step Well at Patan dating
to the mid eleventh century. Adorned with
more than 400 sculptures, mostly depicting
the god Vishnu in his diverse forms, this step
well reveals an elision between the sacred
world of gods and the mundane world
of mortals. This step well was a gift from
a queen to her subjects in memory of the
recently deceased king, her husband. It is
a practical gift, one that serves everyday
needs, but like the gifts of temples provided
so often by royalty, particularly by queens, it
shows that a religious structure can be seen
as a gift, one that brings gods to her subjects,
gods like Krishna who often sport near water.
So just as water generates life feeding
cooling vegetation and providing sustenance
for agriculture so it serves the needs of both
humans and the divine.
Gardens

When the Mughal emperor Babur (15261545) came to India, he saw a land that he
described as unruly and uncultured. Thus he
commenced a campaign to construct gardens,
well ordered gardens in which water was to
play a central role: I always thought one

Shalimar Garden, Kashmir, c. 1620-1630. Photo: F. M. Asher

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

Humayuns Tomb, Delhi, 1562-1571. Photo: A. Proctor

a formality that accommodated courtly ritual.

Even before 1620, Shalimar garden existed, but
in that year it was transformed into a formal
terraced Mughal garden on orders from the
emperor Jahangir. Shalimar was approached by
boat from Dal Lake, and water formed a major
feature of the garden as a stream originating in
the mountains above Dal Lake flowed through
the entire garden. Water chutes enhanced the
appearance of the streams rapid descent, and
niches on the terraced walls over which the
water cascades were provided with oil lamps
to illuminate the water at night. The lush
appearance of the garden was enhanced by
plantings, though we cannot be sure that the
present-day flora reflects the original plantings.
We have only scant evidence for the function
of each of the three levels of Shalimar Garden.
Generally it is assumed that the lowest terrace
served a public function and that the pavilion
on its central axis served as the Hall of Public
Audience for the emperor. The central terrace,
it is commonly believed, was reserved for the
emperor and his private retinue. On this level,
the central structure built across a waterfall
served as the Hall of Private Audience. The
upper terrace was very possibly reserved for
the zenana, that is, the emperors harem.
Today

of the chief faults of Hindustan was that

there was no running water. Everywhere
that it was habitable it should be possible to
construct waterwheels, create running water,
and make planned, geometrical spaces.
For Babur and his Mughal successors, the
garden became a metaphor for the imposition
of order on unruly Hindustan.
It is not so much Baburs gardens, which
survive more as archaeological relics than as
functioning gardens, that give us a sense of
the Mughal garden. Rather, it is the gardens
of Kashmir, well preserved in their present
reconstructed state, that reveal the beauty of
the gardens and the central place of water
in them. Of all the Mughal gardens, the one
known as Shalimar is probably the most
instructive.
Water had been an important feature of
Mughal gardens for some time before the
construction of Shalimar was commenced in
1620 by Shah Jahan, then a prince, on orders
from his father, the emperor Jahangir. Beside
the gardens of Babur, we have the garden
settings of tombs, for example, the famous
tomb of Humayun, Baburs son and successor,

constructed between 1562 and 1571 in Delhi

after Humayun fell to his death in 1556. There,
artificial streams that intersect under the tomb
building divide the garden into four parts,
that is, the characteristic char bagh format for
gardens in Persia and India. These streams and
the rich plantings of the garden are intended
to recall the Islamic notion of paradise. Among
several references in the Quran is Surah 16.31,
which anticipates Gardens of Eternity which
they will enter: beneath them flow (pleasant)
rivers: they will have therein all that they
wish. This format is also used for the Taj
Mahal, constructed between 1632 and1648. It
was long believed that the Taj stood at the end
of the waterway, but recent excavations across
the Jamuna River show that the river itself
served as one stream, the other continuing
across the river in the Moonlit Garden. In
the desert regions of Islams origins, water
was an especially important feature, brought
to India through the mediating culture of
Iran, where lush gardens were created under
Safavid dynasty patronage.

Shalimar and the other gardens of Kashmir

were created as pleasure spots for the emperor
and his retinue but arranged nonetheless with

Floods still strand thousands in the northeast

part of the country during monsoon season,
while the desert regions must develop
methods of irrigation to sustain agriculture.
Pilgrims, sometimes hundreds of thousands
of them, gather by the banks of Indias rivers,
still regarded by the faithful as sacred spots.
And in urban India, parks are provided with
pools often containing spouting fountains that
serve the city dwellers with a respite from
intense heat. Water still plays a central role in
Indias life, no less now than in centuries past,
a role that is both secular and sacred, that can
both threaten and provide pleasure.
Professor Frederick Asher is an eminent specialist
in South Asian art based in the Department of
Art History in the University of Minnesota, USA.
His current research considers the architecture of
contested religious space and the issue of copying/
originality in Indian art.

REFERENCES
Possehl, Gregory (2002). The Indus Civilization: A Contemporary
Perspective. Walnut Creek, CA: Altamira Press.
Jain-Neubauer, Jutta (2001). The Stepwells of Gujarat: An Arthistorical Perspective. New Delhi: Abhinav Publications.
Viennot, Odette (1964). Les divinits fluviales Ganga et Yamuna
aux portes des sanctuaires de lInde. Paris: Presses universitaires
de France.
Wescoat, James L., ed (1996). Mughal Gardens: Sources, Places,
Representations, and Prospects. Washington: Dumbarton Oaks.

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

VANISHED BARKS SAIL AGAIN

Julian Cribb
The malar prepares to set sail for a sunset cruise at the confluence of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers.
Photo: Rolex Awards/Heine Pedersen

he tradition of wooden boat building

in Bangladesh dates back thousands
of years. Today it is almost gone - unless
Runa Khan Marre can achieve her dream of
restoring traditional wooden river boats for a
living museum.
Up until a generation ago, the 24,000 kilometres
of Bangladeshs rivers presented a spectacle
from another age - hundreds of thousands of
wooden sailing boats jostling to move people
and goods along the countrys vast aquatic
network. Of late, however, its riverscapes
have transformed beyond recognition as
steel-built, diesel-powered craft have taken
over completely.
Runa Khan Marre, 49, is determined that
the 3000-year old Bangladeshi skill of boat
making will not die. She and her husband,
Yves Marre, are hard at work supervising the
building and reconstruction of more that 40
different types of traditional wooden river
and sea craft by a handful of remaining skilled
craftsmen so they can sail once more as a
living museum on the Dhaleswari River, 20
kilometres north of the capital, Dhaka.
Becoming a Rolex Award for Enterprise
Associate Laureate in 2006 has given Khan
Marre resources to complete her museum,
pay for more boats to be restored, employ
craftsmen and bring pride and visitors to a
nation still largely off the tourist trail.
Bangladesh has 600 named rivers - long
enough end-to-end to stretch from Sydney
to New York and back - in an area smaller
than Victoria. Three major rivers, the Padma
(Ganga), Jamuna (Brahmaputra) and Meghna,
form the worlds mightiest delta.
With a million boats plying its waterways,
Bangladesh is thought to have the worlds
largest river fleet. On average the nations
147,570 square-kilometre land mass lies
5 metres above sea level, and during the
monsoon nearly two thirds of the country
can go under water. It is little surprise that
powerboats, whose hulls cost a fifth the price
of wooden ones, have been so successful,
especially given that diesel engines overcome
the navigational hazards faced by traditional
sailing vessels. But the price of modernisation
is the loss of the traditional fleet, along with
all the skills needed to construct and repair
wooden boats: most of the builders are now

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

over 50 years old in a country where life

expectancy is 62.
The vessel construction techniques of the
Bangladeshi craftsmen have been passed,
without writing, from father to son for
more than 3,000 years, since a time when
Phoenicians and Arabs first came by sea to
trade on the Delta coast. They thus represent
a body of human knowledge kept alive since
the time of the Pharaohs. For indigenous river
craft they may date back further still.
Leading a project to preserve boat-building
is an unusual occupation for a woman from
an aristocratic Muslim background. Early
in her career Khan Marre demonstrated her
resourcefulness by setting up a fashion house
and a security firm. Then, after overseeing
a major education program, she established
the Friendship Association in 1998 to
provide health care in a floating hospital,
flood relief and educational assistance to the
impoverished inhabitants of the islands of the
Brahmaputra River.
Her ability to make a success of challenging
projects was well known when she met Yves
Marre in 1994. He was staying with her
parents in Dhaka after sailing a 38-metre river
barge, intended for humanitarian use, from
France to Bangladesh. Yves Marre brought
more than romance into her life, as his passion

for boats proved contagious. I discovered a

new world, Khan Marre recalls, and within
months I was hooked.
One of their first joint achievements was
the restoration of a malar, a 30-metre sailing
boat they bought in 1996, which took local
craftsmen over a year to bring back to life.
She explains that her husbands technical
expertise, coupled with her own ability to
get things done, helped them establish a
bond of mutual trust with the marginalised
river boat-builders.
The couple then set up Contic River Cruise,
which runs up-market river excursions on
the malar. Established initially to repay the
money they had borrowed to restore the craft,
the business now attracts influential foreign
clients vital to Bangladeshs fledgling tourism
industry. In 1999, determined to rescue the
countrys fast-vanishing boat-building skills,
Khan Marre combed Bangladesh for master
ships carpenters, commissioning them to
build scale models, each about 65 centimetres
long, of boats from all over the country
according to the old traditional designs.
These replicas there are now hundreds of
them reproducing 27 different types of boat
are built using the same techniques and
materials as those for full-size boats.

To repair a staple-hulled palowari, a cargo vessel rescued from 35 years underwater, workers cling to a bamboo
scaffolding used as a winch to turn the boat on its side. Photo: Rolex Awards/Heine Pedersen

They provide an accurate record from which

carpenters are able to build life-size boats.
Once we saw the first models, and the
success they enjoyed, we realized we had to
do more, Runa Khan Marre recalls and the
idea of a living museum was born.

well as museum documents and oral history.

With her Rolex Award funds, Khan Marre
says she is able to rescue still more boats. For
each vessel, naval architects are documenting
every stage of the boat-building process, and
their records will be made available to marine
archives worldwide.

The craft include the palowari, the podi,

the shampan - based on a design borrowed
from China - the panshi (a boat for running
domestic errands) and the dingi, originally
one of the commonest small boats on the
rivers, whose name has crossed into nautical
tradition around the world.

The project has given the boat builders back

their dignity and pride as skilled craftsmen,
at a time when it seemed their profession was
extinct, Khan Marre says. A local businessman
has pledged to finance the construction of
several buildings at the museum, including an
exhibition area, a model building workshop,
shop and research centre. Khan Marres
project is making a vital contribution to her
countrys heritage.
Annie Montigny, of the Muse National
dHistoire Naturelle, in Paris, says that of
all of Bangladeshs cultural heritage, these
river boats deserve, more than anything else
at present, urgent attention and development.
The skills of the boat-building artisans are
disappearing, and must be saved.

Since 2004, carpenters, blacksmiths, ropemakers

and sailmakers have been working at the
Living Museum of Traditional Country Boats
of Bengal, which opened to the public in April
2007. Carpenters from the Brahmaputra River
have restored one of only two remaining
15-metre-long palowari boats, which have
stapled hulls, while their counterparts from
the Meghna River have reconstructed the
worlds last remaining patham, a fine example
of a smooth-skinned boat. A team of carpenters
from an island in the Bay of Bengal are building
a sea-faring shampan using techniques forgotten
in Bangladesh, but revived with the help of
Western marine architects and ethnologists, as

Julian Cribb is a science journalist and Adjunct

Professor in Science Communication at the
University of Technology Sydney and a fellow of the
Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and
Engineering.

For more information about the Rolex Awards go

to www.rolexawards.com

The old ways still work at a shipyard outside Dhaka

where sails are made or repaired with sewing machines.
Photo: Rolex Awards/Heine Pedersen

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

THE SYMBOLISM OF WATER IN ANCIENT EAST JAVANESE ART

Lydia Kievan
Krishnayana Reliefs, Main Temple, Candi Panataran, mid 14th Century.
Depiction of hermits near a holy water-place Tirtha. Photo: Lydia Kievan

King Dasawaktra was tranquil and

enthralled
at such a lovely sight [enhanced by] water
bubbling from the springs;
moreover, all the hermits came out to
welcome him
offering betel leaves and nuts, and water
to drink as well.

his verse is taken from the Old Javanese

poem Arjunawijaya (Canto 10:22; Supomo
1977 II: 204), composed by the poet Mpu
Tantular in the 14th century. Many ancient
Javanese texts tell about the beauty of
landscape with particular emphasis on water.
In these tales, travellers might proceed to
the site of springs, they might take a rest at
the bank of a river or creek, or they might
enjoy the view at the ocean shore. Besides
descriptions of natural places, old Javanese
poems also mention holy bathing places,
usually constructed at the site of a natural
spring that served for ritual purifying and
cleaning. Such bathing places were called
tirtha, from the Sanskrit word meaning holy
water or passage. Frequently these tirthas
were connected with a hermitage. Pilgrims
and - as the Arjunawijaya tells us - also kings
visited the hermits to seek advice on the
teaching of the Higher Knowledge. These
pilgrims probably cleansed themselves in
the tirtha first as a symbol of leaving behind
the mundane world, prior to coming into
contact with the highly venerated hermits
and through them, with the spiritual world.
Water has many aspects reflected in myths,
religious rituals, literature and art of ancient
Java. It has the qualities of giving and
protecting life, of fertilising and revitalising
and of purifying. It is no wonder that in
Javanese and many other cultures water is
an important element in religious rituals and
myths.
Water has always been the crucial element
in Javanese agriculture, especially its wetrice field (sawah) cultivation. The particular
combination of topography and climate in
Java that provides excellent conditions for
this method of agriculture does not occur in
many other parts of Indonesia. Here, there
is a balanced mixture of plains and gradual
mountains slopes. Rivers sourced on the
slopes of volcanoes transport the rich volcanic
mud. Some of these rivers become major

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

waterways, such as the Brantas river, which

opens into a delta near the present-day city
of Surabaya in East Java. The Brantas was
used for irrigating the fields in the plains
of the delta-region, and also for transport.
The humid climate and monsoonal rainfalls
further contribute to a fertile agriculture.
Inscriptions prove that by the 9th century AD
during the Central Javanese period (c. 8th to
beginning of 10th century) irrigated rice fields
were already established in Java (Wisseman
Christie 2007:236; Van Setten van der Meer:
1979). In East Java, early sawah cultivation in
the highlands shifted to the lowlands after
the 10th century, due to the development of
the ports at the north coast and an increase
of settlement behind the ports (Wiss.Christie
2007:241). The mouths and deltas of the large
rivers Solo and Brantas needed extended
waterworks for field irrigation. Seasonal heavy
rainfalls in these deltas could sometimes lead
to flooding which had to be controlled by
dams and weirs. Stone-inscriptions tell of
royal incentives given for the construction of
such dams.
Java was well known for its export of rice
during the East Javanese period, and gained
a lot of its wealth by it. In exchange for the
rice, it imported spices from the Moluccas,
which it could exchange for foreign trade
goods such as precious cloths from India or

ceramics from China. Thus it was essential to

maintain a productive agriculture, the basis
for which was fertility. Prior to the adoption
of Hinduism and Buddhism together with
the cults and myths from India, indigenous
fertility cults had already existed in Java, and
later on Java developed its own unique means
of mythologising and symbolising fertility,
though retaining reference to Indian models.
The earth is symbolised by the Goddess/Sri/
Sakti/yoni, water by the gods holy nectar
amerta, the mountain with its fertile volcanic
mud by God Siwa/lingga.
In Java as well as in Bali, Dewi Sri was and
partly still is venerated as the goddess of rice
and fertility. The whole process of growing and
harvesting rice is accompanied by agricultural
ceremonies and myth performance, although
today in Java these are falling more and
more into disuse. One particularly important
myth is the one of Sri and Sadono, regarded
as incarnations of the Goddess Sri and God
Wishnu. This myth is also reflected in many
Panji-stories, which tell about Prince Panji
and the Princess Candrakirana, who are
themselves incarnations of Sadono and Sri
respectively. These tales reflect the many
struggles endured by the couple before they
are eventually united. Their union symbolises
the fertility of the soil - the union of water with
earth. Another parallel points to the Tantric
goal of the union of Siwa and Sakti. The Panji-

Tirtha, Candi Jolotundo, from 977 CE. Lower western slopes of Mount Penanggungan. Photo: Lydia Kievan

stories thus also symbolise the Tantric path of

unifying the individual soul with the divine
(Kieven, forthcoming PhD thesis).
Water as purifyer is symbolised by the amerta,
the mythical elixir of immortality and the
water of life, and it plays an important role
in several old Javanese myths. The creation of
amerta is related in the story of the Churning
of the Ocean (Samudramanthana) in connection
with the mythical mountain Mahameru
(Mount Meru), the seat of the gods. Two
versions of this story are known. In a 10th
century Javanese version of the Adiparwa,
which is the first section of the Indian-based
Mahabharata, the amerta emerges out of the
ocean after it had been churned by using the
Mahameru as the churning stick while the
mountain was supported at the base by a
tortoise (Phalgunadi 1992:63-69).
The much younger Javanese Tantu Panggelaran
text relates the transport of Mount Mahameru
by the gods from India to Java. Pigeaud
(1924) dates the Tantu Panggelaran to between
about 1500 and 1635 AD. However, many of
its episodes were probably already known
as popular myths before they were written
down. According to the Tantu Panggelaran,
the amerta emerges out of the mountain itself
while the ocean is being churned. Thus, as

10

part of the change from the Indian-based to

the Javanese text, there has been a shift from
the view of the ocean as being the source
of the amerta, to that of the mountain. In
both versions the churning stick is brought
into rotation by a serpent naga which is
wrapped around the mountain. But whereas
the Sanskrit Adiparwa relates that the naga is
pulled by gods and demons, in the Javanese
version it is solely by gods.
In the later Javanese version of the
Samudramanthana, the amerta emerging from
the mountain may very well be an allegory
of Javas geography, where major rivers and
numerous smaller water courses have their
sources on the slopes of mountains. Certainly,
the importance of mountains in Java is clearly
being emphasised.
Mount Meru, the holy mountain of the gods,
also has a dominant role in many other
ancient Javanese myths and in such myths
the mountain is usually connected with
the amerta. Examples are the Bhimasuci and
the Bhimaswarga where Bhima searches for
the amerta on top of Mount Meru, and the
Garudeya where Garuda steals the amerta
from the gods on Mount Meru to free his
mother from a curse. In these stories the
amerta symbolises the Highest Wisdom

(Bhimasuci) or an exorcist way of purification

(Bhimaswarga, Garudeya). Episodes from these
tales are depicted in narrative reliefs on Candi
Kendalisodo, Kedaton, Kidal, and Sukuh.
The mythical Mount Meru is shaped as one
top peak surrounded by four lower hills
and on a deeper level by four further hills
which gives the 8+1-shape, an essential
configuration in both Hindu and Buddhist
mythology. In Java, this shape is mimicked
remarkably well by Mount Penanggungan
- one peak, surrounded by eight lower hills
which has been venerated as a holy mountain
over many centuries. Over 81 sanctuaries or
their remains on the slopes of this mountain
attest to this fact.
Several temples and objects in Java convey
the Meru/amerta-theme. Among others a very
explicit reference is given by a fountain spout
found near Trawas which derives from the
holy bathing place of Jolotundo. Jolotundo,
a restored and well-preserved tirtha, lies on
the lower slope of Mount Penanggungan
and is still visited by worshippers today.
Jolotundo itself and particularly the fountain
spout symbolise the amerta which emerges
from Mount Meru. The structure shows a
central spout, surrounded by four lower
and four still lower spouts, encircled by a

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

snake. These spouts are each shaped in the

forms of a lingga, the phallus of God Siwa.
Thus another symbolism is represented: the
correspondence of the mountain with God
Siwa, and the correspondence of the emerging
water with his semen. This same symbolism
is also expressed in the large lingga-sculpture
(1.82 m high) from Candi Sukuh which is kept
in the National Museum in Jakarta, depicted
very naturalistically in its upper part, with
a string of semen dribbling down and with
four large balls attached below the glans. The
four balls around the glans can be interpreted
as the one level of four hills surrounding the
peak of Mount Meru. And thus this whole
lingga is a symbol of the story of the Churning
of the Ocean and the emerging of amerta.
Candi Tikus, which has a temple structure
erected in a water basin, and Candi Jawi,
surrounded by a moat, can both be regarded
as Mount Meru in the ocean. The Naga-temple
in Panataran with a naga-body arranged
around the temple also reflects the same
theme. Candi Penampihan on the east slopes
of Mount Wilis also shows typical features.
Naga-bodies surround the main and side
temple and there are remains of a huge stone
turtle which once carried the temple foot.
Moreover, very close by is a source of water
which is still venerated today and which can
be regarded as the emerging amerta.
Candi Sumberjati has the relief of a turtle,
which may be a symbol of the turtle that
supported the mountain during the churning
of the ocean. Another depiction of the
churning of the ocean is given in a relief at
the west side of Candi Kesimantengah in
Pacet near Trawas to the southeast of Mount
Penanggungan. It shows the demons on one

side and the gods on the other pulling a rope

wrapped around a small mountain on top of
a huge turtle.
Candi Sukuh, situated on the west slopes of
Mount Lawu, also displays several references
to the subject of amerta. This temple has
been the object of studies since the time of
Raffles (1817) and has prompted a variety
of interpretations. The main temple in the
third courtyard of the terraced complex
with its peculiar pyramid-like shape can be
regarded as representing Mount Meru, and
several water spouts on top indicate that
there was once a system of water-channels.
In light of the preceding discussion, it seems
logical to interpret this as an analogy to
the Samudramanthana-story: the emerging of
amerta from the mountain. In fact, it is my
own considered opinion that the Sukuh lingga
was originally sited on top of the main temple
and that the two in combination actually
represent a huge lingga-yoni. This is based on
the fact that the height of the lingga at 2 metres
and that of the main temple at nearly 6 metres,
match very well together. This interpretation
as lingga-yoni does not contradict the Meru/
amerta-interpretation, as in the lingga-yoni
union life-giving semen of Siwa is also being
produced.
Many holy water places existed in ancient
Java, both Central and East. In East Java many
were situated on the slopes of mountains, and
the basins were filled with water from natural
springs, for example: Candi Songgoriti,
Belahan, Jolotundo, Panataran, Tikus as
well as a small number of bathing places in
Bali. These were built between the late 9th
century (Songgoriti) and the 15th century
(Panataran). The function and symbolism

of these tirthas varied: providing magical,

curative and purifying water for the local
community (Songgoriti, Jolotundo), a royal
site or an hermitage (Belahan). In the case of
Panataran there are two tirthas: one inside and
one outside of the actual temple complex. The
outer one is obviously for purification prior
to entering the temple. For the Inner Bathing
Place I have developed an interpretation
within the Tantric path, which corresponds
to the final episode of the Bhimasuci where
Bhima finds the Higher Knowledge not on
the mountain, but on the ground of the ocean
(Kieven, forthcoming PhD thesis).
Many temple reliefs also feature the theme
of water. Tirthas appear in depictions of
narratives, for example on Candi Jawi
(c.300 AD), or on the Main Temple of Candi
Panataran in the Krishnayana-reliefs (mid14th
century). In many reliefs at temples of the
Majapahit period, which was the major East
Javanese Hindu-Buddhist kingdom between
c.1300 and 1500 AD, the earlier-mentioned
Panji-stories are depicted. In representing
the union of Sri and Wishnu they symbolise
fertility. In representing the union of Sakti and
Siwa they symbolise the Tantric goal. Within
these depictions there are frequent episodes
of persons crossing water, which stands for
purification and the transition from one stage
to a higher stage of religious knowledge.
In this way the depictions of Panji-stories
prepare the pilgrim for entry into the sacred
sphere of the temple. The subject of water and
the crossing of water also frequently occur in
other narrative reliefs where they may well
carry the same symbolism. We only have to
imagine a king entering into such a scene to
bring the verse of the Arjunawijaya to life.
Lydia Kieven is a PhD candidate at the University of
Sydney and co-author of the book Worshipping Siva
and Buddha: The Temple Art of East Java, 2003.

REFERENCES
Kieven, L.: forthcoming PhD thesis University of Sydney
Patt, Judith. 1979: The Use and Symbolism of Water in Ancient
Indonesian Art and Architecture. Diss. Berkeley, California.
Phalgunadi, I Gusti Putu. 1990: The Indonesian Mahabharata.
Adiparva The First Book. Translated from the Original Classical
Kawi Text. International Academy of Indian Culture and Aditya
Prakashan, New Delhi.
Pigeaud, Th.G. 1924: De Tantu Panggelaran. (Diss. Univ. Leiden)
s-Gravenhage.
Raffles, Th.S. 1817: History of Java. Vol. I,II. London.
Supomo, S. 1977: Arjunawijaya. A kakawin of Mpu Tantular.
Bibliotheca Indonesica 14. Vol. I,II. The Hague.
Van Setten van der Meer, N.C. 1979: Sawah cultivation in ancient
Java. Aspects of development during the Indo-Javanese period, 5th
to 15th century. Canberra.
Wisseman Christie, J. 2007: Water and rice in early Java and
Bali, in: Boomgaard, P. (ed.), A world of water. Rain, rivers and
seas in Southeast Asian histories. Leiden, pp. 235-258.
Naga-temple, Candi Panataran, end of 14th century. Naga-serpent winding around its
upper part with main temple in the background. Photo: Lydia Kievan

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

11

BOATS, CROCODILE ANCESTORS AND MERMAID MYTHS

IN THE ART AND CRAFT OF TIMOR-LESTE
Joanna Barrkman
everal works currently on display in the
exhibition Husi Bei Ala Timor Sira Nia
Liman From the Hands of Our Ancestors,
co-presented by the Museum and Art Gallery
Northern Territory, Darwin and the National
Directorate of Culture, Timor-Leste, illustrate
the significance of water in Timor-Lestes
cultural expression. These works, from the
National Collection of Timor-Leste and from
the collection of the Museum and Art Gallery
Northern Territory, provide insight into the
art of Australias nearest Asian neighbor.

The seas surrounding Timor-Leste are named

tassi feto the feminine, calm sea to the
north of the island and tassi mane the
masculine, wild sea to the south. These seas
define the physical world of the Timor-Leste
people and reflect their conceptualisation
of the dualistic nature of existence that
underpins traditional Timorese societies.
Across these seas, Austronesian migrations
occurred approximately 3,500 years ago
(Bellwood 1991), resulting in the introduction

of technologies to the island such as seafaring,

land cultivation and backstrap loom weaving.
While the majority of the population today
are Melanesian, with a belief system oriented
towards the land, this article focuses on the
water related imagery of the Austronesians.

estuaries that provide the natural habitat

of the powerful crocodile ancestor. the
crocodile gave birth to us, gave us conditions
to survive there and we now have to feed
the crocodile to be a good wealthy country,
wealthy people (Gusmo, 2002).

Rock art sites on the eastern tip of

Lautem feature boat imagery along with
anthropomorphic and spiral motifs, which
were created post-Austronesian expansion
(OConnor 2003). These boats are associated
with local mortuary practices. Coffins were
formerly boat shaped and were considered
to be the vehicle by which the spirit of
the deceased journeyed across the ocean to
reunite with its ancestors (Connor 2003:103).
Boat imagery on hand woven tubeskirts,
tais feto, from the Lautem region today is
attributed by the weavers as being inspired
by local rock art sites (pers. comm. Marques
J, July 2008).

The feminine sea is the source of many myths

relating to mermaids and mermen in the
form of eels. During full moon, mermaids are
believed to cry magical tears that, if caught
by fishermen, can be used to attract women.
Eel men represent water serpents of both
benevolent and malevolent forces. Angelic
mermaid imagery appears on a textile, lau,
from Viqueque with a border of weft twined
slit tapestry weave, lita. This is an example of
a European motif that entered Timor-Leste
during the Portuguese colonial era. Through
the introduction of cross-stitch and embroidery
pattern books, Timorese textile artisans
embraced new designs which characterised
many woven textiles, tais, motifs from the
pre-independence era (Cinatti, 987:14) until
this current era. A pair of Oecussi ceremonial
house doors feature naively carved mermaids,
accompanied by turtle motifs chiselled boldly

Sea voyages and migration are alluded to

in Timors origin myth, which records the
formation of the island. A boy who saved
a crocodile from death was repaid for his
kindness when the crocodile took him on his
back for a sea journey. Following years of
adventuring, the ageing, tired and hungry
crocodile contemplated eating the boy in order
to survive but, upon recalling his debt to the
boy, the crocodile swam toward the place
where the sun rose in the east, loro sae. Upon
arrival, the crocodile provided the boy with a
chance of survival by dying, transforming itself
into the island of Timor, thereafter referred to
as Timor Loro Sae, the land where the sun rises
(a name also indicative of Timors eastward
location in the context of insular Southeast
Asia and pre-colonial trade routes).
The crocodile, lafeak, remains a sacrosanct
ancestor in Timor-Leste, known as the great
grandfather, nai bei, king of the ancestors
and king of the waters, we nai. The island is
shaped like a crocodile with the inland, rugged
mountains likened to the crocodiles scales,
Kupang, the beasts mouth, and Lautem,
its tail. The navel of the mythic crocodile is
located in the mountainous, inland region of
Aileu, which is regarded as the navel of the
earth, rai husa. This pivotal inland location in
the centre of the island provides a contrast to
the expansive tassi feto and tassi mane oceans.
Flowing from the inland mountains down to
the sea is a system of freshwater rivers and

12

RIGHT: Ai bahat nai bei, crocodile carving,

Timor-Leste, 20th century. Wood,100.5 x 20 x 14 cm.
National Collection of Timor-Leste

LEFT: Odamatan, doors, Oecussi, 20th century. Wood,

a. 135 x 26 x 5 cm, b. 134 x 27 x 5.3 cm. Museum and Art
Gallery of the Northern Territory

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

Lau, cloth, Viqueque, mid-late 20th century. Commercially

spun cotton with natural and synthetic dyes, 241 x 70 cm.
Loan from Timor Nia Klamar

beneath the mermaids fins. In Timor-Leste,

turtles are believed to offer protection from
destructive forces.
Mythical sea creatures inhabit the dangerous,
deep Wetar Strait that joins the island of
Ataro with the mainland of Timor. In
Luis Cardosas contemporary memoir of a
Timorese childhood, The Crossing, he refers to
the mythical creation of the island of Ataro
from an eel. The inhabitants of this remote,
parched island seek sustenance from the sea,
which supports their livelihood as fishermen.
Regularly the fishermen of Ataro traverse

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

the Wetar Strait in their dugout canoes, beiro,

so as to trade their catches in cosmopolitan
Dili, approximately 25 kilometres across the
strait. Cardosa (2000: 12) writes:
On board I saw the soko, the steersman.
He sat down in the stern, and... he picked
up a white conch shell. Putting the shell
to his lips, he tilted it as if it was full
of tua-akar, palm wine, as if he wanted
to drink it all down to sweeten bitter
crossings. Instead he blew, and a long,
languid sound emerged, a call for some
supernatural being to fill the sails with a
good flowing wind to carry us across to
the island.

Local accounts of a fisherman and his wife

who commenced a sea journey together whilst
arguing, aboard a small beiro, allude to the
origins of mermaid mythology. A hardwood
mermaid figurine from the MAGNT collection
(SEA 03016) illustrates some of the cultural
influences that have been incorporated into
the Atauroean carving traditions. Whilst
mermaid imagery is rooted in traditional
subject matter, the upper body of this figurine
reflects a more formalised figure, suggestive of
Christian reliquary forms. Prior to Portuguese
colonisation in Timor-Leste, Ataro female
and male ancestral figurines, Baku Mau and
Lepo Moro, were depicted naked with genitalia,
however Christian influence has resulted in
covering the figurines genitalia with cloth,
suggestive of traditional lion cloths, hakfolik
a tiny piece of cloth suitable for someone
who spends his life between sea and sky
(Cardosa 2000:12).
Contemporary woodcarving continues in
Ataro island, where this traditional art form has
become oriented toward Dilis tourist market.
The artisans, who carve from rosewood and
teakwood, regularly travel from Ataro with
stocks of figurines and masks for sale in Dilis
esplanade and cafes. The traditional effect of
blackened soot-covered carvings from storage
in ceiling rafters above fires places has been
replicated with new blackening techniques.
Recently completed carvings are now rubbed
with coconut seeds and milk, which leaves a
residue on the wood onto which ash from burnt
coconut husks is added to create the impression
of an aged carving.

13

The life-sustaining role of water, we, in Timor

for the cultivation of crops and human survival
is acknowledged in the earthenware ceramic
traditions of Timor-Leste. For centuries,
pit-fired earthenware water pots, sanan rai,
have been used for the collection, carrying
and storage of water. Hand constructed by
artisans using coil, pinch, paddle and anvil
techniques, earthenware ceramics are made in
Manatuto, Laga, Lospalos and Atsabe where
clay is accessible.
Grandfather Crocodile
From the depths of the ocean
A crocodile in search of a destiny
Spied the pool of light, and there he
surfaced.
Then wearily he stretched himself out
in time
And his lumpy hide was transformed
into a mountain range
where people were born and where
people died.
Grandfather crocodile the legend says and
who am I to disbelieve that he is Timor!

Other ceramic forms for storing liquid such

as kendi and lolo reflect foreign influence.
Introduced by Arab, Gujerati, Malay and
Chinese traders, the kendis neck and spout for
pouring liquids became combined with the
indigenous bulbous sanan rai body. Similarly,
the lolo is distinguished by the incorporation
of lugs on the shoulder, similar to those
moulded onto southern Chinese storage jars,
gusi. Such Chinese ceramics inspired the
name of Timor-Lestes Oe-gusi enclave. Oe
(Uab Meto language) means water source
whilst gusi refers to Chinese ceramic storage
jars, ideal for storing water.

rivers, plentiful harvests, ancestral protection

and prosperity in the coming years.
Joanna Barrkman is Curator of Southeast Asian Art
and Material Culture at the Museum and Art Gallery
Northern Territory (MAGNT). She is the curator of
Husi Bei Ala Timor Sira Nia Liman From the Hands
of our Ancestors, an exhibition of Timor-Leste art
and craft, currently on display at the MAGNT in
Darwin until 12 July 2009.

REFERENCES
Bellwood P. 1991. The Austronesian Dispersal and the Origin of
Languages. Scientific American, 7/1991, pp. 88 93.
Cardosa L. 2000. The Crossing. A Story of East Timor. Granta

This initial examination of earthenware

ceramics, carved ancestral figurines,
ceremonial house doors and textiles reveals
the potent power of ancestral crocodiles and
mythical creatures which inhabit the waters
of Timor-Leste and alludes to the rich cultural
practices of the nations people. As the gentle
sea, tassi feto and the rough tassi mane continue
to lap the shores of the crocodile island, may
rains fall on its mountains, ensuring flowing

Publications, London.
Cinatti R. 1987. Motivos Artisticos Timorenses e a sua Integrao.
Instituo de Invetigacao Cientifica Tropical, Museu de Etnologia,
Lisboa.
Gusmo X. 2003. Interview with Xanana Gusmo by Robyn
Ravlich, ABC Studios, Sydney, May 2002.
OConnor S. 2003. Nine New Painted Rock Art Sites from
East Timor in the Context of the Western Pacific Region. Asian
Perspectives, 41 (I), Spring 2003.

(Xanana Gusmo, 1998)

Lolo, gusi, water pot, Manatuto, presumed 19th century.

Earthenware, 33 x 28 cm. National Collection of Timor-Leste

14

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

THE WATER FESTIVAL IN CAMBODIA

Gill Green
Dugout racing boats assembled on the Sap River, Sisowath Quay, Phnom Penh, 2006. Photo: Gill Green

he Cambodian nation celebrates the end

of rainy season each year with a threeday public holiday around the end of October
or early November. Families in large numbers
pour into the capital from all over the country
setting up home on mats set out in parks and
public spaces along the river banks. Here
people relax, eat with family, sell trinkets
and food and view the unfolding events. The
royal viewing platform on the bank of the
Sap River just in front of the Palace affords
the royal family and government members a
prime vantage position.
The name Water Festival is said to be the name
bestowed by the French in the late nineteenth
century. In fact the festival includes a number
of water-oriented events. During the afternoons
bon om tuk, literally meaning festival-rowboat perhaps more familiarly known as
dragon boat races, are hotly contested. In
2006 the Phnom Penh Post reported 450 boats
participated, many sponsored by commercial
interests and wearing tee shirts with the logos
and colours of the sponsors (including one
sponsored by the ANZ Bank). The dugout
canoes, the dragon boats, many stored in
monasteries through the year, are awoken
on the morning of the first day by having eyes
painted on the sides of the prow. Competing in
groups, the boats are propelled with amazing
speed each with up to fifty rowers, the one and
a half kilometre course ending more or less in
front of the Royal Palace area. The helmsman,
holding a richly decorated paddle, encourages
the rowers. A sequinned textile panel and
bunches of hair, both suspended at the prow,
enhance the perception of speed as the rowers
put their all into winning. In the past the
rowers apparently accompanied their efforts
with ribald songs.
The highlight of the evening proceedings is,
however, a stately display of huge illuminated
floats, pratib, a Khmer word derived from the
Pali word for light or taper. These slowly
progress up river past the royal pavilion
accompanied by spectacular firework
displays. This is loy pratib - the launching of
lights. The form of the boat is that of a nak,
a snake, some in Khmer style with a swept
back crest, some in Indian style resembling a
rearing cobra with multiple heads contained
within its hood. On some vessels nak heads
appear at each end, prow and stern, while
others have a nak head at the prow and
flaring nak tail at the stern. Currently nine

16

vessels make up the fleet. Whatever the nak

form, the vessels each support a different
elaborate central structure incorporating a
variety of thematic symbols. This form of
floating procession also occurs in Thailand
and Laos, though in these communities the
event is termed loy kratong referring to the
shape of the vessel, a lotus-shaped circular
offering bowl.
What is known of the recent history of these
events? Jean Moura, French Representative
to Cambodia from 1868-1879, paints a vivid
picture of events in his late nineteenth century
account of loy pratib in Phnom Penh (1883).
He describes loy pratib as a truly curious
nautical festival. When darkness fell, Moura
recounted, a number of floats formed a flotilla
gliding along the river in front of the royal
pavilions. The floats at that time portrayed
animals - life size fish, elephants and marine
monsters - made of paper supported on
a bamboo framework. These were brightly
illuminated by candle-filled, oilpaper lanterns.
The river was lit up by fireworks launched
from special floating barges that were kept
wet, presumably to avoid catching alight.
In the 1940s to 50s anthropologist Evelin PoreMaspero noted that the animal themes of the
royal pratib floats had changed to represent
increasingly more symbolic subjects such as
the Wheel of the Law or a vase filled with

grains for the Ministry of Agriculture. The

illumination of these pratib may well have been
upgraded from oilpaper lanterns to electric
bulbs by the early twentieth century as by this
time electricity had come to Phnom Penh.
In more recent times, the festival was cancelled
following the coup detat by Lon Nol in 1970,
which toppled Head of State Prince Norodom
Sihanouk. As the Phnom Penh Post also noted
in its 2006 coverage of the event: This year
[2006] is the 16th anniversary of the boat
races revival after a 20-year hiatus (Issue
dated 3-16 November 2006:11)
Loy pratib is equally celebrated in the nations
villages. Indeed it is these celebrations that
are probably the repositories of the original
purpose of the festival: the return of the
ancestor spirits to their underworld homes.
Moura observed that village pratib were much
smaller craft than the large floats of Phnom
Penh. Rafts made from lengths of banana
tree trunks or strips of the outer layers of
banana trunks supported, not model animals,
but what he describes as turrets, pagodalike structures. These much smaller craft
were launched on the flooded water courses.
While their fragility and instability, he noted,
caused many to capsize and sink, their sheer
numbers meant that those that did survive
and float seawards seemed to set the water
surface ablaze with fire.

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

Pratib with multi-headed snake-style prow and stern. Phnom Penh. 2006. Photo: Gill Green

A range of items was placed aboard to tempt

the ancestor spirits to embark. These could
include a small clay pot, rice, cakes, food, zinc
firelighters, areca nut, sugar, incense sticks and
lighted candles. Traditionally monks launched
these craft on to the river chanting Go to
your country, or plains where you live, or
mountains or under the rocks which are your
homes. Go, return. In this month your sons
and your little children will think of you; at
this time, you will return, you will return, you
will return. Evelin Pore-Maspero, researching
village customs, contends that there is a belief
that it is essential to return ancestor spirits to
their underworld homes: taking the rain and
gloom of the rainy season with them allows
the sun to return and sustain the growth of the
rice crop until next year.

three days. Perhaps they were banned as they

could obstruct the dragon boat races.
The symbolism of the nak has multiple
manifestations contributing to the animist
and Buddhist beliefs and customs that exist
syncretically in Cambodia. In cosmological
terms the watery region beneath that
of humans is believed to be the domain
of the naga (nak) king, a benevolent deity
responsible, amongst other roles, for rainfall.
Long time Phnom Penh resident Darryl
Collins contributes an evocative image of
this symbolism as it applies at Water Festival
time. He relates: The image of the naga (nak)
under each float is the iconic key that denotes

In 2006 I observed two elegant and skilfully

constructed village pratib being prepared
on the second morning of the three-day
festival period in the grounds of Wat Sampao
Traleach on the Chroy Changvar headland
across the Sap River from Phnom Penh. The
rafts were made of five lengths of banana
tree trunks pressed tightly to each other by
wooden stakes passing through each at both
ends. A gold foil covered miniature pavilion
was carefully lowered onto the raft and the
process repeated on a second raft with a
silver foil covered pavilion. The pavilions
were stabilised by securing the bases of the
uprights in four depressions picked out of
the rafts with the corner of a machete blade. I
did not, however, see any banana trunk pratib
on the rivers of Phnom Penh during those

these craft that appear to glide on the back

of the beast in pitch darkness radiating light
and energy as they slide effortlessly past the
spectators.
In addition, symbols that relate to Buddhist
festivals are celebrated at this time. PoreMaspero (1985) explains that diverse legends
inform beliefs. There are two in particular:
one that the festival honours the tooth of the
Buddha guarded by the nak king, and the
other that it records the time the nak king
asked the Buddha to leave his foot prints
so that aquatic animals could participate
in worship. Legend also has it that several
centuries ago Nobamas, Brahman wife of a
Thai king, introduced the custom of floating
candle lit vessels at this season.
This illustrates that, while this article has
focussed on its visual aspects as evident to
visitors, the significance of the Water Festival
is rooted deep in the spiritual psyche of the
citizens of Cambodia.
Gill Green is Vice President of TAASA. She is the
author of Traditional Textiles of Cambodia (2003)
and Pictorial Cambodian Textiles (2008) both
published by River Books, Bangkok.

REFERENCES
Leclre, A. 1899. Le Buddhisme au Cambodge, Ernest Leroux, Paris.
Moura, J. 1883. Le royaume du Cambodge, Leroux, Paris.
Pore-Maspero, E. 1962. tude sur Les Rites Agraires des
Cambodgiens, Paris Mouton and Co. 1985, Ceremonies des
Douze Mois. Fetes Annuelles Cambodgiennes, Commission des
Mours et Coutumes de Cambodge, Cedorek, Paris.
Village style pratib, a banana trunk raft with
central pavilion. Chroy Changvar, Phnom Penh, 2006.

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

Photo: Gill Green

17

W A T E R P U P P E T R Y: V I E T N A M E S E S O U L
Vuong Duy Bien
Fire and Water: the appearance of the dragon during the dance of the immortals. Photo: Bo V Quc

lthough we do not know for certain when

water puppetry first appeared, there is an
inscription on the stele of Sung Thien Dien
Linh in the Long Doi Buddhist temple of Duy
Tien district in Ha Nam province which states
that, in the spring of 1121, a water puppet
performance took place during a festival
to celebrate long life and happiness for the
King. From this account we can conclude that
water puppet performances were already in
existence and well enough developed for a
Royal performance by the time that the Doi
stele inscription was made.

Evidence from the Doi stele and some

early documents allows us to conclude that
Vietnamese water puppets have been in
existence for 1,000 years and that the birth
place of this cultural form is the area of the
Red River delta, encompassing the districts of
Ha Noi, Thai Binh, Nam Dinh and environs.
Much early research states that water
puppetry developed in Vietnam due to the
close connection between the abundant water
and river systems and the development of
a civilisation based on wet rice agriculture.
However, this does not answer the question
why such an art form did not develop in other
areas of wet rice cultivation such as Thailand
or the Philippines. Why did water puppetry
not develop in those societies? There have
been many hypotheses, but as yet none of the
conclusions are very persuasive.
Due to the climatic conditions of the Red
River basin, farmers in the area have been
constantly threatened by torrential rain and
floods. They must regularly refurbish the
dyke system to protect their crops and homes
from flooding. One suggestion is that wooden
statues from communal houses and pagodas
that were set adrift to bob around on the flood
waters may have provided the impetus for
the invention of water puppetry.
If indeed this was the case, a material different
to that used in the statues, ficus wood, was
eventually used for the puppets; it was
chosen for its lightness and ability to float on
the water. Ficus trees thrive around the ponds
and lakes of the farming hamlets of Vietnam.
This base material was then combined with
decoration using red and gilded lacquer,
using the same procedure that is used for the
creation of statues for communal houses and
pagodas.

18

Water puppetry evolved within the social

milieu of the ancient Vietnamese; therefore
to fully grasp the way the performance
developed we must understand how these
peasants lived. Performances include scenes
of transplanting rice seedlings, ploughing,
tilling the soil, fishing with nets, raising ducks
and catching fish and frogs. Others represent
leisure activities involving the surrounding
habitat of the riverine area, such as boat
racing, swimming and young ones frolicking
in the water.
Vietnamese water puppetry skilfully
combines fire and water, two mutually
exclusive elements, in a lively display
through firecrackers spraying a shower of
flames from the dragons mouth when it
emerges from below the water to glide on
the surface. This traditional firework is made
from sulphur, ground neem tree charcoal and
a small quantity of filings of aluminium or
other metal, which is completely safe, unlike
other forms of explosive.
Water Puppetry operates with two techniques:
rod and string. Single puppets are placed at
the end of a long bamboo rod concealed just
under the surface of the water and skilfully
manipulated by the hands of the puppeteer,
who stands waist deep in water behind a
bamboo curtain. Examples of single puppets
are fish, ducks and peasants who sow and
cultivate rice and catch shrimp. Strings,
attached to various parts of the puppets
body, are manipulated to produce specific
movements.
For groups of puppets performing processions
or dances, such as the return of the successful
candidate from the Confucian examinations
or the dance of the immortals, these puppets
are operated by means of strings, stakes and

pulleys hidden under the water: a system that

enables back and forwards motion.
In the past, water puppet shows took place on
lakes and ponds in the countryside. Nowadays
there is an opportunity to present the shows
in other venues, therefore large, mobile
tanks were developed that can be installed
in different locations. This has enabled
Vietnamese puppet companies to travel and
perform in many overseas locations.
Water puppetry reflects the life of
Vietnamese peasants the quiet, peaceful
life of hard working, simple folk. Through
the performances, foreigners can gain an
insight into the life of the Vietnamese people
and country. When Vietnamese people watch
the performances, they feel proud of their
cultural traditions, especially those living
away from Vietnam. The water puppet show
arouses nostalgia for their cultural roots.
The Vietnam National Puppet Theatre always
respects the heritage of our ancestors, both the
material and intangible aspects. Artists of the
theatre consider it a responsibility to preserve
and maintain this unique art form. Strictly
speaking, the Theatre is a living museum,
conserving the heritage handed down to
us over thousands of generations so that it
may be enjoyed by countless generations in
the future. Despite changes due to the rapid
development and progress in the country,
a unique feature is preserved in the water
puppet performance, a feature that is likened
to the soul of the nation.
Vuong Duy Bien is the Director of the National
Water Puppet Theatre, Ha Noi, Vietnam.

Translated from Vietnamese by Chan Carroll

and Ann Proctor

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

NOTES ON DRAGON-RULERS OF THE WATERS

Adrian Snodgrass

efore entering a Buddhist shrine or

temple in East Asia, it is common practice
to wash the hands and mouth with water
dipped from a trough standing in the shrine
courtyard. As with similar acts in many
religions throughout the world, this washing
is an act of purification, removing the dust
of the world before entering a sacred and
pure space. However, in East Asian Buddhist
temples, the rite has added meanings, which
are conveyed by the fact that more often than
not the water flows into the ablutions trough
from the mouth of a dragon (as illustrated).
Washing with water from the dragons mouth
is to be imbued with the life-giving and lifeprotecting qualities of water, embodied in
the dragon.

The lore of the dragon in Asia is not confined

to Buddhism, but comes from a distant past,
existing thousands of years prior to the
introduction of Buddhism into China. To
understand this dragon lore, it should be noted
that the dragon in eastern cultures has little
in common with its European counterpart.
Okakura, in his book, The Awakening of Japan,
sums it up as follows:
The Eastern dragon is not the gruesome
monster of mediaeval imagination, but
the genius of strength and goodness. He is
the spirit of change, therefore of life itself.
Hidden in the caverns of inaccessible
mountains, or coiled in the unfathomed
depth of the sea, he awaits the time when

he slowly rouses himself into activity.

He unfolds himself in the storm clouds;
he washes his mane in the blackness of
the seething whirlpools. His claws are in
the fork of the lightning, his scales begin
to glisten in the bark of rain-swept pine
trees. His voice is heard in the hurricane,
which, scattering the withered leaves of
the forest, quickens a new spring.
The dragon is intimately associated with
water in all its formsrivers, lakes, oceans,
mists, clouds and rainand thus holds the
power of life. Without water all living things
die. The dragon sends down gentle rain to
sustain all living things. As well as being a
life-giving force, however, water in the form
of floods, storms at sea and hurricanes can
act as a mighty destructive power. Only the
dragon can control the waters and prevent
such cataclysms. The dragon is a force to be
reckoned with.
Invested with such powers, since time
immemorial the dragon has been the focus of
rites for rain-making on the one hand, and for
the control of the destructive powers of water
on the other. It is understood that if treated
with due respect and appropriate offerings,
the Eastern dragon is benevolent; if ignored
or otherwise displeased, however, the dragon
unleashes the waters to create havoc.
Thus it is that the dragon features so profusely
in the art of East Asia. Dragons flying in

Dragon fountain at the Higashi Hongan-ji, Kyoto. 17th century. bronze. Photo: A. Snodgrass

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

19

Dragon image from the Zuzhkekyh (Taishkyzuz, Vol. 6/1). 15th century.
The Chinese character (on right) reads dragon, the other mark is the
dragons Sanskrit seed syllable.

the waters that spill

into the surrounds are
the fertilizing waters
produced by their
union. Such places
serve as trysts for
amorous couples, and
festivals are held there,
with dancing that
mimics the wrestling
of the dragons so as to
ensure that the rivers
continue to flow and
that rain will fall. One
crosses the waters
at such places when
seeking success in
some enterprise.
clouds are depicted in paintings, on temple
ceilings, on the beams, roofs and eaves of
buildings, on bridge supports, on the tops
of bells and gongs, on the screws of stringed
instruments, at the tops and bottoms of stone
tablets, on sword hilts, prison gates, and so
on. A dragon is often carved on the Buddhas
throne and appears in many paintings of
scenes from the Buddhas life.
East Asian landscape paintings are called
mountain water paintings, and in one
interpretation, they depict two manifestations
of the dragon: the dragon as it flows through
the earth and rocks to form the sinew of the
land, and the dragon as mist, rivers, lakes.
These are respectively the dragons yang and
yin aspects. The painter depicts dragons
veins in the landscape, giving it peaceful
harmony and vibrant energy.
The tracing of these dragon flows, homologues
of the flow of the vital breath (Ch. chi, J.
ke), in order to determine their harmonious
confluence or discordant clash, is the task
of the wind-water or air-water (Ch. fengshui, J. fsui) diviner, who seeks to locate the
dragons head in the landscape, where life
energies concentrate with greatest potency.
Calligraphy of exceptional virtuosity is that
in which the flow of the brush over the silk
or paper is like the lively twisting of the
dragons bodythe brush strokes flow like
water. A calligraphy master is one who can
twist the dragons tail.
Throughout East Asia there are countless
legends concerning dragons. There is, for
example, a rich lore connected with sites
where two rivers join. At such sites, it is said,
two dragons meet. When the banks overflow
in times of flood, the dragons, male and female,
are engaged in an erotic wrestling match, and

20

When Buddhism
reached China, the
rich repository of dragon lore and imagery
was appropriated into the Buddhist canon
by the simple expedient of identifying the
dragon with the Indian nga, which figures
so largely in Buddhist writings. The nga,
like the dragon, is closely associated with
water. They share so many characteristics
that they quickly became indistinguishable
in China. Not only is the Sanskrit word nga
always translated into Chinese as long, the
Chinese word for dragon, but in East Asian
art ngas are invariably depicted in the form
of dragons.
Dragon lore, absorbed into Buddhism, is
particularly evident in the stories associated
with Kkai (posthumously given the title
of Kb Daishi), the monk who introduced
Shingon (True Word) Buddhism into Japan
in the first decade of the ninth century.
For the Japanese he is possibly the most
famous of their countrymen and has close
connections with the Dragon King, Zennyo
Ry, who dwells in a cave on Mt. Mur at
the geographical centre of Japan.
Having returned from China, where he had
been initiated into the secrets of Esoteric
Buddhism (Mikky, another name for the
Shingon), Kkai engaged in a prodigious
program of temple building. As well as the
famous complexes on Mt. Koya and in Kyoto
(especially the Tji, the East Temple), he
established a monastery on Mt. Mur, close to
the dwelling place of the Dragon King. He did
this quite specifically to enable rain-making
ceremonies to be performed regularly, rituals
focused on the Dragon King, who was deemed
to control the rainfall for all Japan.
Kkai chose Mt. Mur as the site for a
monastery for several interrelated reasons.
Firstly, according to his geomantic calculations,

it lies at the exact centre of the landmass of

Japan, which he identified with a single-prong
vajra, the diamond thunderbolt that plays
such an important role in Shingon rituals. It
is not uncommon for the central nub of this
implement to contain a Buddha relic, which
gives it its power. Since Mt. Mur was at
the centre of Vajra-Japan, Kkai empowered
the mountain by burying there, in a secret
place, a wish-fulfilling jewel (nyoih), which
he had brought from China as gift from
his initiatic master, Hui-kuo. Wish-fulfilling
jewels contain thirty-two Buddha relics, each
the size of a grain of rice. As does the relic
in the vajra, these give the jewel its power to
establish peace and prosperity throughout the
country.
In the same way that the Buddha entrusted
the Jewel of the Buddha Dharma to a Dragon
King, Kkai entrusted the wish-fulfilling jewel
to the Dragon King Zennyo, who continues to
guard it to this day.
Other associations are involved. As well as
being identified with the single-prong vajra,
the body of Japan is also assimilated with the
body of a dragon. The centre of a dragons
body is the liver, which contains a jewel,
so that the wish-fulfilling jewel lies in the
dragons liver at the centre of Japan. This has
great significance in relation to the efficacy of
rain making ceremonies as was demonstrated
by one of Kkais famous exploits. Several
years after his return from China, Japan
suffered a severe drought, bringing great
distress and hardship to the people. Kkai
and a Tendai priest, Shen, volunteered to
perform rain making rituals, and the emperor
declared that whichever of the two monks
proved successful would be awarded imperial
preference in the performance of state rituals.
The rain making contest, which it had now
become, was conducted at the pond of the
Shinenen pleasure gardens of the imperial
palace in Kyoto. This pond was said to be the
alternative dwelling place of the same Zennyo
Ry who lived in a cave on Mt. Mur. In his
performance of the ritual, Kkai called upon
Zennyo for his assistance, whereupon the
Dragon King emerged from the pond in the
form of a small snake riding on the head of
a large dragon. The Dragon King listened to
Kkais request, and rain began falling.
An alternative version of the legend relates
that the rival priest in the contest was Shubin,
who is described as evil and malicious.
According to this telling of the tale, he was the
cause of the drought. Having been bettered
by Kkai in a debate, he sought vengeance
by rounding up all the dragons in the Kyoto

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

region and, by his magic powers, confining

them in a small pot. With the dragons thus
disenabled, the rains had ceased to fall.

(Konkmy-saish--ky), which describes the

manner in which kings are to govern so as to
accord with Buddhist teachings.

It should be noted that this second account

of the rain-making contest, although popular
over the centuries, is not accepted by Shingon
adherents, because it goes on to say that Kkai,
having summoned the Dragon King, not only
asked him to grant rain, but also to kill his rival
as a punishment for his misdeeds. This the
Dragon King did. Shingon devotees discount
this tale, since it would link Kkai with murder,
an unthinkable suggestion. Far from being evil,
the priest Shen, in the first version of the
story, has the title of Daitoku, Great Virtue,
and was renowned for his piety.

The climax of the Latter Seven-Day Ritual

brings together several of the themes
discussed above. The officiant, while chanting
the appropriate mantras and making the
corresponding hand gestures, visualises the
wish-fulfilling jewel hidden on Mt. Mur, and
identifies it with the triple jewel that is the
honzon, or the image that is established on the
altar as the focus of the ritual.

As a result of his success in the contest

Kkai was awarded permission to perform
an annual ceremony for the well-being and
prosperity of Japan and the emperor. This
ritual is called the Latter Seven-Day Ritual
(go-shichinichi-mishiho) and complemented
(and hence is latter to) an esoteric ritual,
the Misai-e, which had already been annually
performed for some centuries. The Misai-e
consisted of chanting and then lecturing on
the Golden Light Sutra of Victorious Kings

BLACK SUN: THE

TOTAL SOLAR
ECLIPSE IN CHINA

The visualisation of Mt. Mur and the wishfulfilling jewel alludes to the Dragon King, as is
specifically indicated by the ritual performed
in the last three days of the ceremony, the
so-called Scented Water Consecration (kaji
kzui).
In this rite, conducted in the inner chambers
of the imperial palace, water drawn from
the Shinenen pond, whence the Dragon
King Zennyo had emerged during the rainmaking contest, is ritually empowered by
the officiating priest, and then sprinkled over
the clothes of the emperor. At one level, the
empowerment of the scented water is by

LOST KINGDOMS
OF THAILAND

BURMA: LAND OF
THE BUDDHAS

way of imbuing it with Buddha Wisdom, and

it is this that renders the water efficacious
in protecting the emperor from harm. At
another level, however, the empowerment
is that of enlivening the power inherent in
the water by way of its association with the
Dragon King Zennyo. The sprinkling of the
water on the clothes of the emperor imbues
them with the powers of regeneration and
resurgence associated with the dragon, the
controller of life-giving water.
In China and Japan the dragon is intimately
connected with Buddhist legends and
practices. In these places the dragon is
not merely a fairy tale fiction, but carries
meanings that are of vital importance in the
performance of rituals and in understanding
doctrine. The dragon embodies the powers
of water.
Adrian Snodgrass is currently Adjunct Professor at
the Centre for Cultural Research at the University
of Western Sydney. He is a founding member and
honorary life member of the Asian Arts Society of
Australia.

CAMBODIA: ANGKOR
AND BEYOND

LAOS: CROSSROADS
OF SOUTHEAST ASIA

15 September
23 October
09 November
February 2010
30 September 2009
11 November 2009
26 November 2009
Enigmatic and relatively
Thailands outstanding natural,
Cambodia offers a host of
undeveloped, landlocked
TAASA contributor Dr Bob
built and cultural worlds
experiences: outstanding
Laos offers travellers an
Hudson guides our annual
continue to attract more
ancient and colonial
intimate glimpse of traditional
A solar eclipse must rank as
program which contains
architecture; spectacular riverine Southeast Asian life. Gradually
one of the most awe-inspiring travellers than any other country
extended stays in Mrauk U,
environments; a revitalizing
emerging from its tumultuous
spectacles of the natural world: in Southeast Asia. This program
capital of the lost ancient
explores interesting aspects
kingdom of Arakan (now
urban capital; and beautiful
recent history, Laos is a gem
the sky takes on an eerie
of past empires, kingdoms
Rakhine State) and Bagan,
countryside. Join Gill Green,
of Indochina, from the fertile
and mystical twilight and an
and principalities in some
rivalling Angkor Wat as
art historian, author and
lowlands of the Mekong River
overall sense of magic and
different corners of Thailand.
Southeast Asias richest
Vice President of TAASA and
valley to the rugged Annamite
mythology is experienced.
archaeological precinct.
Australian expatriate university
highlands. Darryl Collins, long
Astronomer Martin George from Archaeologist Dr Bob Hudson
is leader.
Experiences in Yangon, Inle
and museum lecturer Darryl
term Southeast Asian resident,
Launcestons Queen Victoria
Lake, Mandalay and a private
Collins on a repeat of our
has designed and will guide
Museum led our previous
cruise down the mighty
successful 2008 program.
a comprehensive tour of Laos
solar eclipse travel program to
Ayeyarwady are also included.
which includes wonderful
Turkey in 2006; Martins latest
Luang Prabang and Wat
tour features the July 2009
Phu Champasak
solar eclipse near Hangzhou
in southern China. Following
the eclipse, we continue to be
immersed in Chinas rich history
For a brochure or further information phone Ray Boniface at Heritage Destinations
and culture including specialist
on (02) 9267 0129 or email [email protected]
astronomical sites.
In conjunction
with Australian
Museum Members
17 July 9 August 2009

H E R I TA G E D E S T I N AT I O N S
N AT U R E B U I L D I N G S P E O P L E T R AV E L L E R S

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

Suite 102, 379 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000 Australia, PO Box K1042 Haymarket NSW 1240 Australia
Phone: +61 2 9267 0129 Fax: +61 2 9267 2899
ABN 93 086 748 834 LIC NO 2TA004916

21

E X H I B I T I O N P R E V I E W : T H E G O L D E N J O U R N E Y: J A P A N E S E A R T F R O M A U S T R A L I A N
COLLECTIONS
James Bennett

Male and female Shinto deities, Shinzo, Usa shrine area, Hyuga, Kyushu, Kamakura period 13th century. Camphor wood,
male figure 79.0 cm high, female figure 48.5 cm high. Mrs Mary Overton Gift Fund 1998, Art Gallery of South Australia

he Golden Journey, opening on 6 March

2009, will showcase the Art Gallery of
South Australias extensive collection of
Japanese art, as well as feature major loan
items from public and private collections
around Australia. The exhibition consists of
two hundred and sixty works of art covering
a diverse range of media from the serene
sculptures of Buddhism, to the colourfully
extrovert ukiyo-e woodblock print images of
the floating world and flamboyant export
art created for the international exhibitions
of late nineteenth century Australia. Through
a broadly chronological sequence, the
exhibition will explore key aspects of Japanese
aesthetics that were defining influences in the
development of its artistic heritage from the
prehistoric to the end of the Meiji era (18681912). The Golden Journey should delight the
visitor with its many unexpected and rarely
displayed works of art from the collection of
the Art Gallery of South Australia as well as
testify to the rich repositories of Japanese art
found in Australian collections.
The collection of Japanese Buddhist and
Shinto art at the Art Gallery of South Australia
commenced in 1916 with the acquisition
of a rare thirteenth century gilded image
of Juichimen Kannon (Eleven-faced/headed
Kannon). In recent years the collection has
continued to expand with further acquisitions
of Buddhist sculpture, painting and devotional
woodblock prints. Amida Buddha epitomises
the profound sense of spiritual presence
manifested in the various images of buddhas,
bodhisattvas and protector guardians dating
from the eleventh to nineteenth century,
featured in The Golden Journey. The statue
depicts Amida as a salvific buddha, appearing
in the contemplative aspect. It is especially
noteworthy for the fine carving of the lotus
throne and halo featuring the Triple Gems of
Refuge - the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha - in
lapis lazuli blue.
The resplendent golden image is complemented
by the austere simplicity of a pair of male
and female Shinto gods each carved in the
one-knife (itto-bori) method from a single
block of camphor wood. The pair of deities
is depicted as an archetypal ancestral couple
dressed in aristocratic court garments, as
opposed to the Indian garments worn by
buddhas and bodhisattvas, thus emphasising
their indigenous spiritual identity. During the
Kamakura Period (1185-1333) the widespread

22

acceptance of the belief that Shinto gods

(kami) were the local manifestations of
introduced Buddhist deities created a rich
language of iconographic images. This is
further represented in the exhibition by the
Art Gallery of South Australias imposing
statue of the wrathful avatar Zao Gongen
which was carved by the artist Jakugen,
described in the statues inscription, dated
1704, as a maker of great buddhas.
Buddhist and Shinto traditions have had a
profound influence on the development of
Japanese art. Their presence is manifest in a
variety of forms in the spectacular array of

sixteen double and single screens featured in

the exhibition, dating from the late sixteenth
to mid-nineteenth century. Similarly, literature
has been a lasting source of inspiration for
Japanese painters and the magnificent screens,
Battle of the Heike, present a dramatic visual
narrative of the famous battles at Ichinotani
and Yashima from the Tale of the Heike, a
mediaeval epic describing the fierce struggle
between the Taira and Minamoto clans.
The screens were painted when Japan had
entered a period of prolonged peace under
the Tokugawa shogunate and convey a sense
of nostalgia for the past glory of the samurais
life. The famous opening lines of the Heike

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

Arrival of the Black Ship, Momoyama Period c.1590. Japan, single screen, gold, ink and colour on paper, 94.0 x 290.0 cm. Private collection

story express the Buddhist notion of the

impermanence of worldly power and glory:
The proud do not last forever but are like
dreams on a spring night.
Even the mighty will perish, like dust
before the wind.
The nuanced subtlety of literary allusions
in Japanese decorative arts is epitomised
in several Noh costumes, dating from the
eighteenth to early twentieth century,
recently acquired by the Art Gallery of South
Australia. These textiles will be among a
number of the Art Gallerys new acquisitions
to be presented for public display, for the first
time, in The Golden Journey exhibition. The
lavish Noh costume featuring autumn flowers is
intricately woven in an autumn grasses and
fence pattern, suggesting the famous episode
The Shrine of the Field (Nonomiya), Chapter
10 in The Tale of Genji that later became the
subject of a Noh play with the same title.
Prince Genji visits his neglected lover Lady
Rokujo in a small shrine described as having
a low wattle fence, scarcely more than a
suggestion of an enclosure. In the Noh play,
the ghost of the beautiful woman returns
to the scene of a thousand autumn grasses
to lament her inability to attain spiritual
release due to her continuing attachment to
the prince.
The visual inspiration of nature, and the beauty
of the passing seasons, pervade the exhibition
and culminate in the exuberant decorative
arts created for export to Europe, and its
diaspora, during the Meiji era. Of course,
during the late sixteenth to early seventeenth
century Japan had already opened its doors
to extensive trade contacts with Europe and
the rest of Asia before restricting its trade
partners to the Dutch, Chinese and Koreans in
1641. The exhibition will feature two unique
screens from this early period of contact that
depict the southern barbarians (nambanjin),

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

including The arrival of the Black Ship, as

well as a variety of Arita ceramics made for
the European and Southeast Asian markets.
Nevertheless, it is certain to be the display of
Meiji decorative arts that will most surprise
the visitor to The Golden Journey.

from 6 March 7 June 2009

James Bennett is Curator of Asian Art at the Art
Gallery of South Australia

The Art Gallery of the South Australia has

been the fortunate recipient of extensive
bequests of Meiji art made in the early
twentieth century as a result of a close-knit
coterie of discerning collectors who lived in
Adelaide and enthusiastically pursued their
Japanese collecting interests. The significance
of their gifts to the Art Gallery was long
unrecognised and only recently has research
revealed the importance of the works of art
collected by such eminent early Adelaide
citizens as William Milne (1849-1905), Sir
Samuel Way (1836-1916) and John Daniel
Custance (1842-1923).
The Golden Journey will present a selection of
leading Meiji craft persons such as cloisonn
artists Namikawa Sosuke (1847-1927),
Namikawa Yasuyuki (1845-1927) and Hayashi
Kodenji (1831-1915), potters Ito Tozan I (18461916) and Makuzu Kozan (1842-1916), and
the great metalware artist Jomi Eisuke (18391900). The exhibition is certain to lead to a
major re-evaluation of Meiji works of art
that have languished in public and private
collections around the country and whose
aesthetic qualities are only now beginning
to be recognised again. To commemorate
The Golden Journey, and promote further
appreciation of this important chapter in the
history of Japanese art, the Art Gallery of South
Australia will host a one-day symposium on
the decorative arts of the Meiji era, with a
program of overseas and Australian guest
speakers, on Saturday 7 March 2009.
The exhibition Golden Journey: Japanese Art
from Australian Collections will be held at
the Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide

23

I N T H E P U B L I C D O M A I N : D A D A N G C H R I S TA N TO, W A S H I N G T H E W O U N D
Melanie Eastburn, with Dadang Christanto
Dadang Christanto performance, For those who have been killed, National Gallery of Australia Sculpture Garden,
30 September 2004. Photo: Steve Nebauer, courtesy National Gallery of Australia

The legends of many nations include tales of

respect for the nobility of water. Even where
I come from, from Indonesia, Java island, the
Mahabarata story and other legends are important
and in them water is a vital element, something
sacred and holy.
But in my works, I do not want to use water to
replicate past stories or meanings. In Heads from
the North and 1001 Earth humans, I used water
as a metaphor for suffering and torture, while in
Washing the wound water became healing and life
renewing.
Dadang Christanto

urrently based in Brisbane, Indonesianborn Dadang Christanto is a leading

contemporary artist committed to addressing
issues of political and social oppression. A
small number of his works of art, particularly
Heads from the North, 1001 Earth humans and
Washing the wound, are intrinsically connected
to water in various forms.
Heads from the North, commissioned by the
National Gallery of Australia for its sculpture
garden, was launched on 30 September 2004
by For those who have been killed, a haunting
performance by the artist. The performance
was part of a series of events of the same
name, the full title of which is: For those who
have been killed, for those who are poor, who are
suffer(ing), who are oppressed, who are voiceless,
who are powerless, who are burdened, who are
victims of violence, who are victims of a dupe, who
are victims of injustice.
Dadang Christanto began the performance
kneeling by the edge of the sculpture gardens
Marsh Pond, burning folded sheets of gold
and silver-leaf joss paper in a bowl until
the vessel filled with ash. He then smeared
his face with the ashes and walked clothed
through the reeds into the water towards his
sculpture, Heads from the North 66 bronze
heads installed in the Gallerys Marsh Pond up
to their necks in water, as though struggling
to keep above its surface.
The date of the performance was significant as
it marked the anniversary of an unsuccessful
military coup in Indonesia on 30 September
1965. The failed coup attempt led to mass
killings in late 1965 and early 1966, which
had a devastating impact on the nation and
direct implications for Dadang Christanto

24

and his family. It was in reference to the

events of those years that he created 66
(for 1966) bronze heads. The artists father
was among the many suspected left-wing
sympathisers who disappeared at that time
and the installation and performance also
serve as memorials to him. Once in the water,
Dadang Christanto wove his way between
the heads, embracing them and mourning
victims of the tragedy.
There are parallels between Heads from the
North and the accompanying performance
and Dadang Christantos renowned 1996
installation 1001 Earth humans. While Heads
from the North is a permanent sculpture made
from durable bronze, 1001 Earth humans
was a transitory event in which the artist
placed 1001 fibreglass figures of naked men
and women to be washed away by the sea
at Marina-Ancol beach in Jakarta. Dadang
Christanto said of the work:
The idea behind 1001 Earth humans came
from the Kedung Ombo dam. In 1992 the
Soeharto regime built a big dam in central
Java. The process of negotiation between
the regime and the villagers and farmers
was not fair. They used military intimidation
and if any people did not agree with the
compensation offered the government said
they were rebels or separatists, or members
of the banned Communist party.
When I had an opportunity to make a work
commissioned by Mr Ciputra from a very
large Indonesian real estate organization,
I wanted to communicate the suffering
experienced by the villagers in Kedung Ombo

and chose the beach in Marina-Ancol Jakarta

for the location.
I installed the fibreglass statues standing on
shore they came not from the sea to the land,
but from the land to the sea. They were the
owners of the land, but the economical and
political situation was pushing or throwing
them to the shore, to the edges of the land.
Their lives were in a desperate state between
life and death. When the tide came up they
drowned, when the tide went down they
lived in suffering.
Washing the wound, a considerably smaller
and more intimate performance, was held at
Old Canberra House in May 2007 as part of
the Thresholds of tolerance workshop at the
Australian National University. In Washing the
wound Dadang Christanto, silent and dressed
in white, repeatedly washed photographs
of family members with a wet cloth. The
ritual took place against the sound of water
dripping into a metal bucket. Describing the
experience the artist wrote:
I used dripping water, as the monotonous
sound can be like sound of terror for the
audience. The water was to clean dried blood
from family photos. Washing the wound was
like a healing. Sometimes I feel tired always
having my dark story with me, weighing
on my shoulders, and I need to rest for a
while. For me, creating and sharing Washing
the wound was cathartic emotionally and
psychologically purifying.
Melanie Eastburn is curator of Asian art at the
National Gallery of Australia.

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

USING THE WATER CHARACTER IN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

Graham Humphries

fter the death of Shu Tong in 1998, one

of Chinas most revered 20th century
calligraphers, his stepson Wong Ching
founded the Rong Feng Development
Company in Beijing. This company has been
at the forefront of the recent development
boom engulfing most of China. The
opportunity to somehow draw on the artistic
inspiration of his step-fathers lifes work in
the architectural expression of his buildings
was at the forefront of his mind when he
briefed us to design a new 250 meter high
commercial tower building in Changchun in
Jilin Province, North East China.

Shu Tong was never far from the political

nerve centre of Chinas turbulent years of
change during Maos Revolution. While
accompanying Mao on the Long March he
became a trusted confidant and close friend.
After declaring himself younger than he
was in order to join the Red Army in 1930,
his interest and talent in calligraphy soon
came to the fore as political banners and
posters became an important tool in Maos
propaganda campaign.
Mao called him the calligrapher on horse
back during the Long March as he would
lay paper on the back of his horse and practice
calligraphy in the absence of a table. It wasnt
however until his later years that age softened
the hard-edged style typical of those years.
Then the relaxed, personal and artistic hand
for which he would become famous emerged.
The Shu Style was established during
the period 1940 to 1948 and combined the
shape of the circle and the square in such
harmonious style that his way of doing so
was considered a milestone in the history of
Chinese calligraphy. Shu Tong later took on
the powerful position of Party Secretary of
Shandong Province from 1954 to 1960 and
founded the China Calligraphers Association
in 1981.
A beautiful book recently published on the
artistry of Shu Tongs calligraphy shows
the transition from the hard-edged style of
the revolution through to the poetic, free
flowing, almost whimsical hand of his later
years. It includes a wonderful collection of
photographs of Shus life from those early
Red Army days and later gatherings with
Chairman Mao and visiting international
dignitaries. It was this book that provided
the clue for us as to how we could give

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

architectural expression to the artistic heritage

Shu had left in his calligraphy.
As our design approach developed we
suggested the use of calligraphy would
be more successful if this were done more
interpretively than literally. Interpreting the
aesthetic energy of calligraphy rather than
simply applying characters like signage on
the building would be worth pursuing. The
frustration (and the potential danger) of not
knowing what the characters even meant
was both a problem and a blessing. While
searching through the glorious volume of
calligraphy, one character started to appear
regularly in most of the work, usually in
the same location. We assumed this was
his signature and, like most signatures, the
variation in style from one version to the next
seemed to suggest we too might be able to
reinterpret these simple curved concave lines.
With our clients genuine appreciation, the
distinctive curved glass facades enveloping
the tower overlooking the city of Changchun
were born.

attempt to satisfy our clients urging that

we might also think about using calligraphy
more literally on the faade, we sketched its
beautiful shape across the facade. It wasnt
until the flight attendant on the Air China
flight from Sydney to Shanghai asked about
the building on the cover of our presentation
material that we had the opportunity to find
out what the character was we liked so much.
Water she said. The most important of the
five basic elements in Chinese feng shui.
We breathed easier!
Given that Changchun means eternal
spring and coupled with the emerging
concern in China about the environment,
we were encouraged that we were on the
right track. But perhaps our random choice
of calligraphy to adorn our new building in
Changchun is equally justified as a sign of
hope as much as reality.
Graham Humphries, LFRAIA, HonFAIA, HonFNZIA,
is Director of the Cox Group Architects and
Planners.

Going one step further, there was another

character that equally caught our eye. In an

25

ROXANNA BROWN (1946-2008)

Pamela Gutman
Roxanna Brown, 1990. Photo: Murray White

oxanna Brown died in tragic circumstances

on May 14, 2008. She was one of the great
pioneers of the history of Chinese export and
Southeast Asian ceramics and the architect
and Director of the Centre for Southeast
Asian Ceramics at Bangkok University in
one of the finest purpose-built museums in
the region. A deeply respected scholar, she
was generous with her time and advice. The
Newsletter her Centre produced monthly and
circulated electronically brought scholars and
enthusiasts from all over the world together,
discussing new finds, interpretations and
books. The Centre now has school programs
and trains staff from museums throughout
Southeast Asia in museology and the
conservation of ceramics, bringing the history
of ceramics to new audiences.
Roxanna was born on a farm in Illinois and
graduated in journalism from Colombia
University, but was fascinated by a class in
Asian art. Her brother Fred, a US marine
on R&R in Australia in 1968, invited her to
Sydney. Wanting to join him in Vietnam, she
made her way there via Singapore and found
work in Saigon as a journalist. These were wild
times, riding her motorbike to find stories and
to look for kiln sites in the bomb-damaged
countryside. Years later, in Danang, she told
me how easy it had been to hitch a ride in a
helicopter. And which other Southeast Asian
scholar would be remembered sentimentally
many years later in Soldier of Fortune?
She met, reputedly in a bar, the famous
drinker William Willets, historian of Chinese
art and founding curator of the University
Art Museum, Singapore and soon after he
took her on as an M.A. student. Willets
initial exhibition in Singapore was the first
time the then little-known ceramic traditions
of Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam were
presented and caused a stir amongst the
oriental ceramic cognoscenti. Roxanna
thrived in this environment, working with
Bernard Phillipe Groslier on Khmer ceramics
at Angkor and at other sites and museums
around the region.
She completed her degree at the School of
Oriental and African Studies in London in
1973 and her pioneering thesis was published
by OUP Singapore as The Ceramics of Southeast
Asia: their Dating and Identification in 1975
with a second revised edition published in
1988. She moved to Hong Kong and became

26

assistant editor of Arts of Asia and launched

the international Asian antiques fair, which
allowed her to study thousands of rare
ceramics. In 1977 Roxanna was invited to
Adelaide to attend and speak at the opening
of the first exhibition of Thai and Khmer
ceramics from the Art Gallery of South
Australias collection and the launch of the
catalogue, Thai Ceramics, and also looked
at other collections around Australia. She
remained in close touch with her Australian
friends and colleagues for the next 30 years.
We met at a Symposium on Trade Pottery
at the Chinese University of Hong Kong
in 1978 where we were overwhelmed by
presentations on the excavation of shipwrecks
in the South China Sea. When ceramic sherds
began to be discovered in Southeast Asian
waters she soon became the expert on their
identification. She married a Thai and took
Thai citizenship, living simply with his
family in Nonthaburi. Her son Jaime was
born in 1981. The couple later separated but
Roxanna remained living with the family,
who loved and cared for her. In 1982, riding
her motorcycle in Bangkok, she was run over
by a ten-wheel truck causing her extensive
injuries and the loss of a leg. Her American
family moved her home to recuperate but she
returned to Thailand as soon as she could to
continue her work, despite suffering intensive
pain for the rest of her life. She joined the
Australian-Vietnamese Ceramics Expedition
in 1989 and for some time she was attached
to Chiang Mai University. Having received a
windfall after classifying shipwreck items for
a major auction house, she bought a share in
the unfranchised Hard Rock Caf there. The
venture was unsuccessful, and she returned

to Bangkok and decided to undertake her

doctorate at U.C.L.A. under Bob Brown. She
wrote, of course, on shipwrecks, identifying
the Ming Gap in ceramics history.
Surat Osathanagruh, founder of Bangkok
University, asked Roxanna to advise on
his ceramics collection, perhaps the most
extensive in Southeast Asia. She worked
with him in selecting items for a proposed
museum, which she helped design and which
opened in 2003 with her as Director. She also
began advising a Cambodian project near the
ruins of Angkor Wat, which trained locals
to make pottery for sale as an alternative
to looting as she was deeply committed to
retaining artefacts in situ. This was perhaps
the happiest time in her life.
It came as a shock to hear that she had
been arrested in Seattle on a charge of wire
fraud for allegedly allowing her signature
to be used on appraisal forms donated to
museums. It was even more shocking to hear
that she had died in prison of peritonitis from
a perforated gastric ulcer. Criminal charges
against her were subsequently dropped. Her
devastated friends and colleagues have held
memorial services in Seattle, Los Angeles,
Leiden, Chiang Mai and Bangkok, and will
remember her for her generosity, erudition
and ability to strive against adversity.
Roxanna is survived by her son Jaime, who is
about to commence post-graduate work, her
mother Elva, brothers Fred and Wesley and
sister Lorraine.
Pamela Gutman is an Honorary Associate, School of
Letters, Art & Media, University of Sydney.

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

END OF YEAR MESSAGE

From Judith Rutherford, TAASA President

s we approach the end of the year, I

thought I would take the opportunity
to thank all our members for their ongoing
support of TAASA.
We know from the surveys that we
have undertaken over the years that the
TAASA Review plays an important role in
disseminating information and presenting
topics of interest to all our members, wherever
they live.
In addition, one of our aims this year has
been to extend the range of TAASA events
on offer to members, and with the help
of Philip Courtenay, a Queensland based
member of our Management Committee,
TAASAs Queensland branch was launched
at the Queensland Art Gallery in October.
This year, we were delighted to present the
latest Seminar in The Great Cities of Asia
Series Beijing: Past, Present and Future both
in Sydney and Melbourne. This was the first
time that we co-presented a Seminar in both
cities and it was a pleasure to work with the
National Gallery of Victoria.
When the opportunity arises we are happy to
partner with other organisations and in March

we joined with the Australian Institute of

International Affairs at The Glover Cottages,
Sydney in launching Anne Warrs new book
Shanghai Architecture. We hope in the future
to work more closely with the Queensland
based Australian Centre of Asia Pacific Art.
We have spent considerable time and
resources this year updating our data base
and have plans in place to review and
upgrade our website, a very important part
of our information dissemination.
Looking ahead to 2009, we are in the planning
stages of another chapter in our Great Cities
of Asia series, which will be held at the
Powerhouse Museum. You will be advised of
the topic and date in the TAASA Review. On
Saturday 25th July at the Art Gallery of New
South Wales we will be conducting a one-day
Seminar on Jewellery and Adornment and we
are hopeful that we will have a display of
some actual examples for you to enjoy.
I would like to conclude by wishing you
all good things for the festive season and
sincerely hope that the upcoming Year of the
Ox will be a happy, healthy, peaceful and
prosperous one for us all.

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TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

27

RECENT TAASA ACTIVITIES

From left: Margery Morris, Philip Courtenay (TAASA Queensland Convenor), Baoping Li. Photo: Gill Green

LAUNCH OF TAASA QUEENSLAND BRANCH

A function was held at the Queensland Art

Gallery on the afternoon of Saturday, 18
October, to launch a Queensland branch of
TAASA. To date Queensland membership of
the Society has been small, despite the state
gallerys substantial Asian collection and its
strong commitment to Asian art as evidenced
by its Asia-Pacific Triennial exhibitions. This
may in large part be due to the lack of local
activities available to existing or potential
members, such as the seminars and interest
groups held in Sydney and Melbourne. The
establishment of an active Queensland branch
is designed to rectify this situation.
The launch received strong support, notably
the complimentary use of a lecture theatre
venue, from the Australian Centre of AsiaPacific Art (ACAPA), the research arm of
the Queensland Art Gallerys Asian and
Pacific activities. One of ACAPAs aims is
to establish partnerships and alliances with
similar organisations and TAASA is looking
at the possible signing of a memorandum of
understanding with the Centre for mutual
benefit.

The appeal of the launch was much enhanced

by the attendance of TAASA vice-president,
Gill Green, who travelled to Brisbane to talk
about the Society and to give an illustrated
presentation on antique pictorial silk textiles
from the collection of the National Museum
of Cambodia. This topic clearly attracted
considerable interest and was very well
received.
The function was attended by 28 individuals, in
addition to a number of apologies from other
interested persons. The establishment of textile
and ceramic groups is under consideration.
Any members wishing to become active in
Queensland are invited to contact Philip
Courtenay by telephone on (07) 3289 5066 or
by e-mail to [email protected]

Lorun means House of Weaving in the Sikka

language. The co-operative involves nine
villages and around two hundred women,
and with some financial assistance from the
Indonesian Government, they were able to
start their venture. Attracting the attention
of some of Indonesias leading designers,
Alfonsas co-op has had promotions in Jakarta
and Germany for their products. The last slides
of her talk were of the people of her area, and
their use of ikat in their everyday lives and
festivals, also of the countrys rugged terrain.
For us, it was a glimpse into another world,
one only an hours flight from Darwin.
Her website is: www.alfonsadeflores.
blogspot.com
Jill Sutanto

Philip Courtenay (TAASA Queensland

Convenor)

TAASA VICTORIA
A Talk by Susan Scollay on 7 October 2008

TAASA NSW

Dracula, dragons and Ottoman prayer rugs:

Textile Study Group meeting

how oriental carpets came to decorate the

10 September 2008, Powerhouse Museum

churches in Transylvania and why theyre

A Visitor from the Island of Flores, NTT

still there today.

Indonesia

Susan commenced her talk by showing a

series of portraits by eminent artists including
Holbein, Crivelli, Lotto and Memling. These
displayed Ottoman rugs, thus establishing
the rugs as desirable status symbols in Europe
from the 16th century on. Produced in Turkey
until the end of the 17th century, they reached
Europe through the great trading port of
Venice. Yet, for centuries, Ottoman prayer
rugs, found in great profusion in remote
and mountainous Transylvania in present-

The NSW TAASA Textile Study Group hosted

a talk by Alfonsa Horeng from East Flores,
Nusatenggara Timur (East Nusatenggara),
an area renowned for its magnificent textiles.
She studied agriculture in Surabaya, and was
in Australia at a Gender Leadership course
at Flinders University. Alfonsa is from Nita,
near Maumere, in the Sikka district and was
instrumental in setting up a co-operative
Sentra Tenun Ikat Lepo Loron (STILL). Lepo
Alfonsa Horeng wearing an Endeh skirtcloth and a top
featuring a mamuli design. Photo: Tanto

28

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

day Romania, were erroneously categorized

as Transylvanian. This continued well into
the 20th century.

TA A S A M E M B E R S D I A R Y
D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 8 F E BR U A R Y 2 0 0 9

The explanation for this lies in history and

religion. Susan spoke of the influence of the
Saxons, who had emigrated to the isolated area
to form a buffer between hostile Swedish and
Ottoman forces. Originally Roman Catholic,
the group slowly turned to Lutheranism
following the Reformation. Consequently,
Roman Catholic iconography was expunged
from their churches and the whitewashed
interiors decorated with Ottoman prayer rugs
donated by the now wealthy Saxon merchants
who continued to trade with Istanbul. As in
the rest of Europe, Ottoman rugs were highly
coveted status symbols. Susan then discussed
possible origins of their design features,
particularly those with floral designs. Her
intriguing talk concluded with a question &
answer session.
Ruth Clemens

TAASA VICTORIA EVENTS

End of Year Party

Friday 5 December 2008, 6.00pm
Weft Gallery, 1430 High Street, Malvern
VIC 3144 (near the corner of High Street
and Tooronga Road). Members and guests
most welcome to gather for food and
wine, and to view the gallerys beautiful
textiles from Central Asia and India.
Cost: $5.00.
For further details contact Ruth Clemens
on 03 9428 0282.

northeast Laos and across the border

in Vietnam. For more information, call:
03 9867 2280.
TAASA NSW EVENTS

TAASA NSWs End of Year Party

This was held on Thursday 27 November
at Parkham Place Gallery, Sydney. A fuller
report will be provided in the March issue
of TAASA Review.

Talk by Russell Howard on

Other Worlds: Textiles of the Red Tai
Date to be confirmed - March/April 2009
Behruz Gallery, 1509 Malvern Rd, Glen
Iris VIC 3146
The talk will complement Russells textile
exhibition at Behruz Gallery which will
showcase textiles of the Tai groups in

We offer over 20 study tours each year, of which the following scheduled
during 2009 may be of interest to TAASA members.
TUNISIA AND LIBYA 04-24 MARCH 2009
This tour looks at the Phoenician, Greek, Roman and Arab occupations and influences on these two North
African nations. Starting in Tunisia, covering the area previously forming Carthages sphere of influence,
the tour explores some of the best of the Roman sites in North Africa including Dougga, El Djem, Bulla
Regia and Sbeitla, but then also exploring medieval mosques, soukhs and Kairouan, the fourth holiest
city in the Islamic world. In Libya, visit Sabratha, Leptis Magna, Ptolmais and Cyrene. Some of the
sites of comparatively recent conflict during WW11 will also be visited. Tour leader is Ancient Historian
Leonie Hayne.
Land Only price per person, twin share: $5,415
CHINA: THE MIDDLE KINGDOM
04-24 APRIL 2009
Our visit is to the heart of the Chinese world: the two major capitals, Changan (Xian) and Beijing;
Lijiang, at the foothills of the Tibetan range and home to the Naaxi people; Shanghai, the booming
business centre; and old Chinas main transport arteries the Grand canal and the Yangzi River. You will
also visit Dazu, Yichang, Hangzhou, Xitang, Suzhou and Nanjing. Tour Leader is Dr John Barclay.
Land Only price per person, twin share: $5,735
JOKOSO JAPAN
27 APRIL 13 MAY 2009
Central Honshu the focus of this trip has always been the hub of Japanese history. The fascinating
city of Kyoto was the capital for over a century until it was transferred to Edo (Tokyo). Nearby centres
were sites of Daimyo activity, and so contain splendid fortifications and castles. But there is more
than history: spectacular scenery along the Kiso Valley and into the Japanese Alps; a look at Toyotas
advanced technology; an overnight in a Buddhist Monastery high on Mt Koya and a chance to appreciate
Tokyos contemporary architecture. Tour leader is Simon Gentry.
Land Only price per person, twin share: $5,935

TURKEY: THE LURE OF THE EAST

16 MAY 04 JUNE 2009
From the vibrant green of Turkeys lush Black Sea coast, through dense pine forests and hidden valleys,
this tour encompasses some of the most dramatic scenery in the world. But even more striking are the
layers of civilisation that have been revealed here, and the tour will include a visit to Gobleki Tepe, where
there is evidence of substantial settlement apparently dating back to c9000BC, so 2000 years before the
earliest levels at Jericho. Other centres visited include Trabzon, Erzurum, Kars, Dogu Beyazit, Van, Mardin,
Sanliurfa, Gaziantep, Antakya and Adana. Tour is led by Rob Lovell.
Land Only price per person, twin share: $6,585
KOREA
23 SEPTEMBER 10 OCTOBER 2009
Over the centuries this ruggedly beautiful peninsula has been the conduit for culture, religion and
technology from China into Japan. History has not been kind to Korea: at times internally divided, it has
been successively ravaged by Mongols, Manchus and Japanese. This has produced a wealth of historic
sites and a people of character and resilience. This is a comprehensive tour covering the whole South
Korean peninsula and Jeju Island. Tour leader is Simon Gentry.
Land Only price per person, twin share: $7,725
IRAN
17 OCTOBER 08 NOVEMBER 2009
Few countries can boast such an illustrious past or such an astounding diversity of cultures as Iran,
the centre of some of the ancient worlds greatest empires. Some of the earliest evidence of settled
communities will be explored at Tepe Sialk, and the towering ziggurat at Choga-Zanbil. You will also
explore the world of Cyrus, Darius and Xerxes and visit their extraordinary palaces at Persepolis, Susa and
Pasargadae; the equally powerful Sassanians and their wonderfully constructed palaces and rock reliefs.
But the tour will also allow time to take in the remarkable architecture and art of Islamic Persia under the
Seljuk, Timurid and Safavid dynasties. Tour leader is Dr John Tidmarsh, President of the Near Eastern
Archaeological Foundation at The University of Sydney.
Land Only price per person, twin share: $6,540

For a brochure on any of the above tours, or to be put on our mailing list to receive our quarterly newsletter Bon Voyage, please phone:
(02) 9290 3856 or 1300 799 887 (outside Sydney metrop.), fax: (02) 9290 3857, e-mail: [email protected]; www.alumnitravel.com.au

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

29

W H A T S O N : D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 8 F E BR U A R Y 2 0 0 9
A SELECTIVE ROUNDUP OF AUSTRALIAN EXHIBITIONS AND EVENTS
Compiled by Tina Burge
AUSTRALIA

NEW SOUTH WALES

NORTHERN TERRITORY

AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

Genji - The world of the Shining Prince

Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
12 December 2008 - 22 February 2009

Arafura Craft Exchange Trajectory of

Memories, Tradition and Modernity in
Ceramics
Museum and Art Gallery of the
Northern Territory, Darwin
11 July 2008 - 18 January 2009

Gods, Ghosts and Men - Pacific arts from the

National Gallery of Australia
National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
10 October 2008 11 January 2009

This first major exhibition of Pacific art held

in Australia for nearly twenty years embraces
the diverse Melanesian and Polynesian
sculptural traditions of Papua New Guinea,
Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands, Easter Island,
New Zealand and the Marquesas Islands.
The works are often iconic and exquisite and
include dance costumes, spirit figures and
other sculptures in stone and wood as well as
fibre arts, dating from as early as 3500 BCE to
the present day.
For further information go to:
nga.gov.au/GodsGhostsMen
Asian Art Events at the National
Gallery of Australia

Japanese woodblock prints: Western

perspectives on 17 January at 2 pm. Gary
Hickey, Lecturer in Art History, University
of Queensland, and convenor of Museum
Studies, will talk on Japanese woodblock
prints and their connection with the French
impressionist artists.
Asian Art: Indian dance performance/lecture
on 15 February at 2 pm entitled Dancing
Shiva with Padma Menon. Visitors will be
taken on a journey from the primeval idea of
Siva as Rudra to the modern interpretation of
this powerful energy through traditional and
new Indian dance.
Asian Art: floortalk on Kamakura period
hanging scroll: Buddha and the sixteen
protectors on 3 February at 12.45 pm. Haruki
Yoshida , curator and specialist in Chinese and
Japanese painting, will discuss the Gallerys
14th century Japanese scroll painting after its
special conservation treatment in Japan.
For further information on these events call
(02) 6240 6504 or go to www.nga.gov.au.

30

2008 marks the 1000th anniversary of Japans

oldest novel, The Tale of Genji, written by
the court lady Murasaki Shikibu. Since the
12th century, this tale has inspired Japanese
artists in countless hand scrolls, folding
screens, hanging scrolls and albums. Painted
mostly by artists of the Kano, Tosa and
Sumiyoshi schools, these pictures (Genji-e)
reflect the refined aesthetics of the courtly
tradition. Around 70 works, drawn from the
Gallerys and other collections, will show
the imaginative power of Japanese artists in
adapting the classical theme to media such as
paintings, ukiyo-e prints, woodblock printed
books, and manga comics.
The AGNSWs curator of Japanese art Dr
Khanh Trinh, will give a lecture, Curators
introduction to Genji: The world of the Shining
prince on 4 February from 5.30-6.30pm.
For more details go to: www.ag.nsw.gov.au
Arts of Asia Course 2009
Decoding Dress in Asian Culture and Art
Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney
Tuesdays 1-2pm from 17 March 2009

The Arts of Asia lecture series will highlight

the visually rich and intellectually stimulating
subject of Asian dress. Through history,
enormous attention has been lavished on the
construction, colour, materials and symbolism
of dress in Asia. For example, the production
of silk in China and its movement through
Asia and Europe was a significant factor
in the development of luxury clothing as a
signifier of social status. The 2009 series will
also look at the political and social forces
influencing such modern developments as
the Nehru jacket and the Mao suit.
Top Asian art specialists in Australia will
be presenting this fascinating series of 22
lectures (plus revision lectures). For details
and course bookings go to: www.artgallery.
nsw.gov.au/events/courses.

The Second Triennial Arafura Craft Exchange

is concentrating on the ceramic tradition of
Australia and Indonesia and will include
199 pieces from seven artists four from
Indonesia and three from Australia.
Husi Bei Ala Timor Sira Nia LIman
From the Hands of our Ancestors
- The Traditional and Contemporary Art
and Crafts of Timor-Leste
Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern
Territory, Darwin
22 November 2008 - 12 July 2009

This exhibition is being presented by the

Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern
Territory in partnership with the National
Directorate of Culture, Timor-Leste. For the
first time since the nations independence in
2002, works from the National Collection of
Timor-Leste are presented internationally.
The exhibition consists of 138 works and
features the accomplishments of Timorese
artists, weavers, sculptors and silversmiths
from the past and present.
For further information go to:
www.nt.gov.au/nreta/museums
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
The Golden Journey
Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide
6 March 7 June 2009

This exhibition will be the first comprehensive

survey in Australia of Japanese art from
prehistoric times until the Meiji period (18681912). It showcases the extensive collection of
Japanese art of the Art Gallery of South Australia,
together with loans from public and private
collections around Australia. Around three
hundred works, in a variety of media, including
painting, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics,
lacquer ware and furniture, will celebrate the
profound lyricism and sophisticated eloquence
of Japanese aesthetics.

TA A S A R E V I E W V O L U M E 1 7 N O. 4

The Golden Journey will coincide with a fullday Symposium on Japanese art and culture
on Saturday 7 March 2009, featuring local,
national and international expert speakers
focusing on the arts of the Meiji era.
Bookings can be made online at www.
artgallery.sa.gov.au/japan or call
(08) 8207 7050.

Demonstration: Indian Miniature Painting

on 10 January 2009 from 1:00 - 3:00pm. The
artist Nusra Latiff will demonstrate her skill
in creating beautifully detailed miniature
paintings in the long tradition of Indian
miniature painting.
For further information for all events &
bookings phone: (03) 8662 1555 or visit
www.ngv.vic.gov.au.

VICTORIA
The Cricket and the Dragon:
Animals in Asian Art
National Gallery of Victoria
International, Melbourne
17 October 2008 15 March 2009

Aimed at children of all ages, The Cricket

and the Dragon: Animals in Asian Art
explores the representation of animals from
South East Asia, China, India, Persia and
Japan in the National Gallery of Victorias
Asian Collection. In association with the
exhibition, a number of events have been
planned including:
Art Sparks: The cricket and the dragon is on
every Saturday until 14 March 2009 from 12
noon 3pm (except 27 December) and is a
series of art activities relating to the exhibition
for children from three years old.
Family Day: The Cricket and the Dragon on
7 December 2008 from 11am - 3pm. Various
activities in the Grollo Equisit Gardens and
Great Hall, including painting workshops
from 12 noon.

Ancient Hampi: A Hindu Kingdom

brought to life
Immigration Museum, Melbourne
13 November 2008 - January 2010

This interactive exhibition offers visitors the

opportunity to immerse themselves in the
stunning World Heritage site of Hampi in
southern India. Using state of the art digital
technologies the visitor can travel back to 14th
century Hampi in India and visit the seat of the
Vijayanagara Empire. For more information go
to museumvictoria.com.au Go to http://placehampi.museum for more information about
the international digital project.
INTERNATIONAL
SINGAPORE
Korean Contemporary Art Show
Singapore Art Museum
8 November 2008 to 15 March 2009

The exhibition examines Korean contemporary

art development over the last five decades
and features over 40 works by 12 artists.

Demonstration: Origami & Kirigami on 17

January 2009 from 1 3pm. Watch Masumi
Jackson, origami & kirigami expert, transform
paper into wonderful animals.

For further information go to:

www.singart.com

Workshop: Animal Puppets on 20 January

2009 from 10 12 noon. A workshop for
children aged 5-8 using images from the
exhibition as inspiration for puppetry.

Byzantium 3301453
Royal Academy of Art, London
25 October 2008 22 March 2009

The National Gallery of Victoria,

International, is hosting the following events
relating to their Asian Art Collection:

Lecture: From Conservation to Exhibition

on 11 December 2008 at 12:30pm by Ruth
Shervington, Senior Conservator, Paper and
Louise Wilson, Conservator, Paper. Presenting
works of art requiring a considerable amount
of conservation that have not been displayed
before, this presentation will cover the
treatments that were undertaken, and the
research into materials and techniques used
to create the artworks.

UNITED KINGDOM

Highlighting the splendours of the Byzantine

Empire, Byzantium 3301453 comprises
around 300 objects including icons, detached
wall paintings, micro-mosaics, ivories, enamels
plus gold and silver metalwork. It includes
works from the San Marco Treasury in Venice
and rare items from collections across Europe,
the USA, Russia, Ukraine and Egypt.
For further information: www.royalacademy.
org.uk/exhibitions/byzantium

Masterpieces of Ukiyo-e
Victoria and Albert Museum
12 December 2008-15 March 2009

This display will reflect the strengths of

the V&As outstanding collection of over
25,000 prints, paintings, drawings and books,
from elegant fan prints and glorious fullcolour prints to artists sketches and copyists
drawings that offer unique insights into the
creation of ukiyo-e.
For further information go to: www.vam.ac.uk
USA
Five Centuries of Indonesian Textiles:
Selections from the Mary Hunt Kahlenberg
Collection
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
September 18, 2008March 15, 2009

Indonesias rich and diverse textile traditions will

be highlighted in this exhibition of over ninety
works from the early fifteenth through twentieth
centuries. The cultural origins and influences of
the varied ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups
inhabiting the many islands of Indonesia will be
seen in a dazzling array of abstract, figurative,
and geometric design motifs.
For further information go to: www.lacma.org
Garden and Cosmos: The Royal Paintings
of Jodhpur
Seattle Asian Art Museum
January 29April 26, 2009

This groundbreaking exhibition of 58 artworks

will present new facets of Indian painting that
flourished in the royal courts of Rajasthan
from the 17th to the 19th century. Produced
for the Rajasthan nobles, these paintings have
never been published; most have only been
seen by a few scholars since their creation.
For further information go to:
www.seattleartmuseum.org
GERMANY
Beauty and Eros Pictures of the Floating World
Museum Dahlem, Museum of East Asian Art, Berlin
17 October 2008 4 January 2009

For the first time ever outside Japan, two

dozen scroll paintings and as many graphic
prints will be shown from the Sumisho
Collection, Tokyo ranging from Moronobu,
the pioneer of Ukiyo-e painting, to the well
known works of Hokusai and Hiroshige. A
series of exhibitions on the Floating World are
scheduled from October 2008 to March 2009.
For further information go to:
www.smb.spk-berlin.de

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