Cultural History Potential of Pekalongan Regency

Study on resource potential of culture, archaeology, tradition and the like is an important first step upon effort to nurture cultural heritage of a nation. Study on potential of various cultural resources, which is a valuable asset for the government of Pekalongan Regency, needs to be carried out through research, description, analysis and explanation upon finding results in one piece information.

Next objective to finding out encouraging potential of cultural diversity and natural resources is to compose information substance for the public on resource of Pekalongan Regency, which actually possesses high competitiveness and competitive proportion. The information substance on resource of historical heritage of culture is expected to be able to provide horizon of knowledge in order for society to be able to study, figure out, comprehend, protect and nurture, of which the society will eventually be able to make use for advancement of level, value and standard of the society. In addition, the information substance is expected to be usable as a reference and guide book for policy makers to manage and handle cultural heritages as well as natural resources so as for the policy makers make use of the cultural heritages and natural resources effectively and efficiently. The management and handling of resources of culture and nature (natural beauty) with interests in advancement of noble values in the life of ideology, education and economy should be expected to assist government to form complete Indonesians fulfilling righteous and bodily needs (material, moral, mental and spiritual). In the long term the result of this research will certainly be followed up with such measures as management, construction and development. In so doing, the resources, which were previously potential asset overlooked as though they had been put in ivory towers, will be usable maximally for government as well as for society as their inheritors. Heritage of prehistoric era, which has been core resources for economic development and self esteem, will therefore bring in particular interests of the society and government of Pekalongan Regency. Resource potential of archaeology, especially which in monumental structures, will denote focal points on regional development in many sectors.
Tourist objects as major means of fulfilling needs for recreation and entertainment will indirectly be usable as a centre for study on growth and development of cultural history of Pekalongan Regency. Heritage of megalithic tradition showing abilities of metal moulding has been a kind of awakening of spectacular culture of ancestors owing to its results in highly monumental structures. Abilities of metal forging and moulding have encouraged surrounding society to work, make and build big stone structures more easily. Building of sites of shrine, ceremony and burial out of big stones along with its intact conduct will become crucial in depicting patterns of act, of work and of behaviour in various activities of the society. Abstract values in the megalithic (prehistoric) era have been important in figuring out how elevated the past culture and civilization was. From the megalithic tradition worthy positive cultural items can be traced back. Negative heritage of ancestors in the past, for example liquor in ceremonies, excessive animal slaughter and the like, can be left behind. There has indeed been positive and negative heritage of the ancestors. It can furthermore be said that the building of megalithic structures was the prospective or even embryo of the rise of Indonesian temples. Megalithic structures in the form of stepped terraces provided a basis of temple structures, which has always been linked to holy mountains in Buddhist Hinduism developing era. The building of Borobudur, Sukuh, Ceto, Jago Temple and many other temples in the form step-terraced structures has been a long-displaying element of evidence for cultural acculturation . Mixture between old and new culture or between prehistoric and Hindu and Buddhist culture has mattered importantly as evidence for the idea of togetherness, oneness and unity of a nation.
The building of stepped terraces in Pekalongan Regency together with structures from the Hindu era has also been cultural acculturation, meaning that the building has also shown a way of life of local geniuses. In this term the local geniuses refer to works of creation, sense and willpower of Indonesian native ancestors. The local geniuses depict cultural continuation of prehistoric ancestors which has existed continuously and influenced culture and cultural works of the following era, the Hindu and Buddhist era. The local geniuses have demonstrated advancement and life of old culture of prehistoric era, which remained influential in the building of many sites of shrine in the developing era of Hindu-Buddha. It can then be said that the local geniuses is crucial knowledge for a society, country, region as well as nation where the sites displaying evidence of the local geniuses are situated. Evidence of local geniuses and cultural acculturation in Pekalongan Regency does not merely display cultural enrichment in the form of the building of physical structures. The way of life of the cultural acculturation and local geniuses has demonstrated spirit of togetherness in daily life and in moral-and-spiritual related life.
From the above description it can be deduced that the culture of Pekalongan Regency is usable in many dimensions and sectors, covering among others:
1. The culture of Pekalongan Regency, possessing local cultural-history is crucial in contributing to growth and development of state culture (national culture).
2. The culture of Pekalongan Regency possesses elevated historical value locally, nationally, regionally and internationally.
3. The cultural heritage of Pekalongan Regency partakes in boarding horizon and phenomena of Indonesian archaeology so as for it should be able to speak on national and regional level, covering both local geniuses (basic personality) and megalithic tradition.
4. The cultural heritage of Pekalongan Regency should be able to raise national cultural-identity and cultural-character.
5. The cultural works of ancestors in Pekalongan Regency should be able to raise national pride and self confidence so as for they should not bedazzled by other national encounters.
6. The cultural heritage of Pekalongan Regency should be power to raise national self esteem and personality.
7. The cultural heritage of Pekalongan Regency should play a role in strengthen and toughening defence and persistence of national culture so as for youth of the nation are not easily dissolved in the misleading influence of instant and glamour foreign culture.
8. The cultural heritage of Pekalongan Regency possesses power to make friendship and peace among South-East Asian countries as well as countries in the world safe in megalithic heritage of which building should far reach regions of inner and outer South East Asia.
9. The cultural heritage of Pekalongan Regency should raise Indonesian reputation and become usable for sustaining social economy as well as Pendapatan Asli Daerah (PAD) or local inventive income from a tourism sector.
10. The cultural heritage of Pekalongan Regency should breed solidarity and care and induce sense of belonging.

The Importance of Heritage of Cultural History
Ancestors of Indonesians have bequeathed their descendants diversity. Such diversity caters for diversity in ethnics, languages, cultures, beliefs and religions. Yet the motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika firmly states unity in diversity, meaning that despite differences among them Indonesians are together as one. This motto should be rigidly upheld providing that this nation is working out its entity to stay in peace and prosperity under Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia (NKRI) or Republic of Indonesian Nation State. In this term the culture of Pekalongan Regency has become heritage of works of Indonesian ancestors which is inseparable from other tribes and tribal cultures in Indonesia. The culture of Pekalongan Regency and the culture of other areas in Indonesia have become one inseparable unity among themselves. Students’ understanding cultural history of this nation should therefore be fostered in order for the students realize firmness of oneness and unity, which have already been endured by their ancestors through the past. If their ancestors were regarded as primitive then why the present youth of this nation could not implant sense of togetherness, oneness and cooperativeness as their ancestors did in the past. Inability which is rendered by Indonesians to build their nation and unite youth of this nation is due to egocentrism and arrogance, which only put themselves or their groups as main interest . Egocentrism and arrogance are caused by inability of this nation to implement noble life of ancestors in the past as a role model. Culture as a frame for oneness and unity has since then faded away and become powerless to raise oneness and unity, which should be embedded in the heart of every youth of this nation.
How ancestors built sites for meeting and burial in pretentious, big structures weighing at tens to hundreds of tons has reflected the noble character of the ancestors. Together they gathered stones (as raw materials), upheld ceremonies and slaughtered animals. The togetherness was induced from within the heart of the ancestors to work communally and cooperatively in numerous social activities. The togetherness can be depicted from results of studies on ethnographic analogy or ethno-archaeology through participatory observation conducted on living megalithic tradition.
Prehistoric era is an era in which written heritage could not be found. The studies on ethnographic analogy questions how Pekalongan Regency was in the prehistoric era and how the life of the ancestors was in the era. This question is a basis for stages on studying prehistoric era of Pekalongan Regency. Data which is retrievable for depicting and disclosing background of the prehistoric life is collected from archaeology resources, which are searchable in the area.
Pekalongan Regency in the classic-history era (Old-Java Buddhist Hindu) has already provided quite comprehensible notes. Yet, not all data of classic historiography, viz. heritage in Pekalongan Regency, have provided evident sources. Epigraphy of ancient inscription heritage of the classics in Pekalongan Regency has posed the regency in Old-Java Buddhist Hindu of northern Java. The epigraphy has displayed evidence that Pekalongan Regency has for centuries played important roles in the rise of Buddhist-Hindu kingdoms in Central Java.
Five of the ancient inscriptions which have been found in Pekalongan Regency cater for Sojomerto inscription, Indrokilo (Petungkriono) inscription, Banjaran (Reban) inscription, Kepokohan (Blado) inscription and Bendosari (Gringsing) inscription. One of the five inscriptions gave clues that there in Pekalongan Regency was a government under the reign of Dapunta Selendra . A number of manuscripts of folklores/ chronicles explicating kings descended from King Galuh Padjajaran, such as the folklore of Parahyangan, Siksakandang Karesian, Cariosan Prabu Siliwangi, have been said to record the same era as the manuscripts of literature of Central Java in the period of Islam Mataram . Sundanese manuscripts, which are works of literature written in limericks, have mostly explicated the life of Sundanese kings as kings of Tantra-Budhist Hindu. The Sundanese manuscripts, owing to the majority of their content which explicated mystical tales, have been unable to be categorized as a source of history. Only the minority of their content did the manuscripts explicate the power of Sundanese kings in Java. This minor content has been close to historical information. Investigation on the history of Pekalongan Regency in the classic Old-Java Buddhist Hindu era in the course of the Sundanese manuscripts has displayed only one source from the manuscript of Cariosan Prabu Siliwangi, which is related to alliance of kingdoms in Central Java and East Java in 1133 AD.
Compiling local history as the history of Pekalongan Regency needs a number of stages. Fore mostly, general aspects of the local history need to be figured out. The general aspects need be related to ancient geography and development of geomorphology of the area. In addition, correlation in historical findings needs to be verified. Archaeological evidence needs to be correlated to history of great kingdoms in classic Central Java era. Furthermore, time of transition needs to be defined. The time of transition lasted from the prehistoric era to the first century of historical era of Central Java, which was defined as the era for the entrance of Buddhist-Hindu in Pekalongan Regency. And then historical evidence needs to be marked. The historical evidence may cater for inscriptions, artefact of holy sites and other items possessing ethnographic values.
The following era was considered as development of modern history. In the modern history the advent of Islam from XIV to XVII century coincided with the growth of coastal suburbs in Java, which became the centre for economy, politics and religion. During Islamic kingdoms Demak turned into a coastal suburb, and so did Pekalongan and Batang subsequently. The coastal suburbs, which were indicated as commercial harbours, became traffic areas for trade and population growth. The harbours then grew as main power on northern Java coasts for a rural kingdom like Islam Mataram. And one important matter concerning colonialism is that European countries exploited resources from all the way along northern Java areas for food ingredients from XVII to XIX century.
Categorized as a potential coastal area, Pekalongan Regency has experienced its new history in its changing status of government in accordance with the governmental system authorized by agreement between the Dutch and kings of Islam Mataram in rural areas. Pekalongan Regency continued experiencing changes in its new history during pre-independence movements until 1966 when G30S PKI or September 30th Movement of Indonesia Communist Party burst out. Pekalongan has remained as regency since then. Each historical phase cited in Mozaik Sejarah Pekalongan has not been explicable in details. At least Pekalongan Regency, however, has historiographically possessed historical record based on scientific research findings.