Frengki Lollo, a photographer from Kupang, shares research and embryonic photography projects that he has been working on for the past year, namely about the Matriarchic culture in Malacca, NTT. This research experienced a few obstacles due to the sacred storm that had just hit our friends in NTT. Knowledge of Indonesia's socio-culture, especially in Malacca, was recorded through the lens of Frengki. This photography project is still in the research and development stage, especially in the collaborative sector. Happy reading!
___
Malacca is one of the regencies in East Nusa Tenggara Province which is blooming from Belu Regency. Its culture is similar to the Belu district. When it was still part of Belu district, the Malacca area had lived with a matriarchal system so that there were two systems of power. After being established as a district on its own, the people of Malacca lived fully with a matriarchal system.
Given the matriarchal system in the district, I had many questions about this way of life. With the patriarchal system of Kupang city close by, the matriarchal culture in Malacca does not necessarily give full power to women. There are actually many women's rights activists campaigning in Kupang. This added to my curiosity about the matriarchal system in Malacca prior to my decision to observe the culture.
I spent one week observing the way of life of the people of Malacca. Women do have an important position in society, with full control over inheritance such as land, rights and traditional customs. A man who wants to marry a Malacca woman must obey the Malaccan tradition of 'entering into marriage'. It is traditional that the husband becomes part of his wife's family and lives in his wife's house. Any children of the marriage will also become members of their mother's clan.
Women's power will only be evident in land deeds and customary rituals, but not in everyday life. Malacca women carry out a "dual role", namely as housewives and participate in earning a living to meet family needs. Moreover, household routines such as cooking, washing and caring for children seem to have become women's duties. The concept that is often brought up, is "the nature of women" which is also a kind of instrument to limit women.
In some regions, the roles of men and women seem to have no boundaries. Men can do the cooking, washing, caring for children and weaving, although not many do. In terms of farming, men and women work together to cultivate the fields. Men prepare the land, plant and also harvest. Meanwhile, women will be involved when planting and harvesting. The role equality has begun to appear in Malacca, although it has not shown a significant change.
Malacca women had struggled to maintain their dignity and honor against sexual slavery when it was colonized by Japan. One of the traditions against sex slavery in the Japanese colonial era is engraved from the tattoos on their bodies. Tattoo as an identity to clarify their status (marital status). If it is tattooed on the feet, it shows that they are not married, while the tattoo on the hand is a married identity. In colonial times, women hid their status by tattooing their arms and legs to declare that they were married. Evidence of this struggle can still be found in the arms and legs of Malacca women aged 60 to 90 years. For now the tradition in Malacca has undergone many shifts as well as the tradition of tattooing is no longer practiced.
___
Frengki Lollo is a documentary photographer based in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara. Frengki has known photography since 2011 and is self-taught. In 2015, he had the opportunity to take part in the photography workshop "Me and My City" held by the PannaFoto Institute on a photo essay mentored by Ng Swan Ti and lasted for three days in Kupang City. In 2017 he was chosen as one of the participants in the documentary photography workshop in Bali held by Doc.Now! For 6 days mentored by Rony Zakaria and Putu Sayoga. Frengki's work, “The Family Man” was chosen to be published on 1000kata.com as one of the works that raised the male character from the East who was considered rude and evil by displaying his romantic side in the family. In 2018, Frengki started to become a mentor at SkolMus until now. Then he was entrusted as one of the curatorial teams in the Public Record City exhibition which featured historical photos of Kupang. One of SkolMus' program concerns is access to historical photos of the city which city residents find difficult. A program that invites the involvement of the people of Kupang city to participate in donating families to be reproduced and presented to the public.
Visit Frengki's Instagram below: