Pondok: A simple shack, often in a field or in the forest, for shelter against the elements.
Sarung: A “sarong” made from a tube of cloth wrapped around the body and rolled at the waist to hold it in place. Traditionally, men wear sarung while women wear kain. A sarung can also be used as a footless sleeping bag.
Selamatan: A communal ritual feast to symbolise unity in the neighbourhood at the time of a significant event. From “selamat” meaning “safe from trouble”.
Tuak: An alcoholic drink made from fermented palm sap or rice.
Wayang: A shadow puppet performance.
HISTORICAL NOTES
The characters and events in this story are fictional but the story is set in a real time and place: Java in the middle of the fourteenth century.
The Battle of Bubat, in which Kancil’s father was killed, was a real event that occurred in 1279, according to the Javanese Saka calendar (1357 in the Western calendar). King Hayam Wuruk, the Majapahit King, was supposed to marry Princess Pitaloka, daughter of the King of Sunda. However, politics intervened and when the Sunda royal family reached Bubat, on their way to Trowulan, the capital, they were killed by Majapahit forces.
The forest temples near the village in this story are real temples – the Prambanan temple complex in Central Java near the city of Yogyakarta. The temples were built in the ninth century.
The civilisation that built the temples mysteriously vanished in the tenth century. There is evidence of a huge volcanic eruption at around this time, which might explain the sudden end to a thriving civilisation. The story Kitchen Boy tells about the prince who turned the princess to stone is a well-known legend about the construction of the Prambanan temples.
If people continued to live in the shadow of Mount Merapi into the fourteenth century, they have left no trace. However, there is also no evidence that people didn’t continue to live there. To this day, the fertile volcanic soil has convinced farmers to take their chances with the mountain although the authorities would prefer they moved permanently to safer ground. Local people still call the mountain Mbah Merapi, Fiery Grandfather, and they still turn to the juru kunci for advice on when to stay and when to go when Mbah Merapi gets angry.
The golden temple bowl and the other temple treasures are real. In October 1990, workers were digging an irrigation ditch in a rice field in Wonoboyo, Klaten – not far from the Prambanan temples. They uncovered three earthenware jars buried deep in the ground. When they opened them they found gold and silver treasures, including the temple bowl decorated with scenes from the Ramayana described in this story. The Wonoboyo Hoard, as it is known, is now on permanent display in the Treasure Room of the National Museum of Indonesia, in Jakarta. Historians believe it came from the Prambanan temples, though why and when it was buried remains a mystery.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Deryn Mansell has been fascinated by the history of Java ever since she visited Yogyakarta as a seventeen year old and experienced first-hand the majestic Prambanan and Borobudur temples. That visit motivated her to continue studying Indonesian and she has returned to Java many times since as a student, as a teacher and as a traveller.
In her working life, Deryn has been a teacher of Indonesian in Australia, a teacher of English in Indonesia, a researcher of language and intercultural communication and a coordinator of Asia literate business-people volunteering in Australian schools.
To find out more about the history and culture that inspired Tiger Stone visit derynmansell.com/tigerstone
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
First and foremost, thanks to Paul Mortensen, who kept me going and fed me lahir dan batin. Clare Renner and my classmates in the YA fiction class at RMIT gave me initial encouragement to pursue this story. Many friends and family members offered encouragement along the way, asked how the novel was going (or didn’t ask – which was sometimes for the best), and offered constructive criticism of drafts – special thanks go to readers Abigail, Hannah and Rosie. Bagus and Pitaya were extremely generous with their time in Yogyakarta and shared their knowledge of temple sites, traditional architecture and village life. Ari and Dina provided valuable advice and feedback on my research into the history of Java and were patient with my angst over what to call people. Any errors of fact are, of course, my own responsibility. Thanks to Black Dog Books/Walker Books for taking a punt on a new author – especially to Maryann Ballantyne and Nicola Robinson. Last but not least, thank you for reading to the very last page.
First published in 2014
by Black Dog Books
an imprint of Walker Books Australia Pty Ltd
Locked Bag 22, Newtown
NSW 2042 Australia
www.walkerbooks.com.au
This ebook edition published in 2014
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
Text © 2014 Deryn Mansell
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means – electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise – without the prior written permission of the publisher.
National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry:
Mansell, Deryn, author.
Tiger stone / Deryn Mansell.
For primary school age.
Subjects: Family secrets – Juvenile fiction.
Villages – Indonesia – Java – Juvenile fiction.
Java (Indonesia) – 14th century – Juvenile fiction.
A823.4
ISBN: 978-1-742032-41-2 (ePub)
ISBN: 978-1-742032-40-5 (e-PDF)
ISBN: 978-1-742032-43-6 (.PRC)
Cover image (face) © Shutterstock.com/Emmanuel R Lacoste
Cover image (tiger) © Shutterstock.com/Apostrophe
Cover image (old paper background) © iStockphoto.com/Eerik
For my parents, who introduced me to Java, and Mrs Lien Lee, seorang guru yang luar biasa.
Tiger Stone Page 17
