Jamu Peddler and The Natural Lifestyle of Kiringan Villagers

Singgir Kartana

At a glance, the hamlet of Kiringan is no different than any other hamlet around the area of Canden Village, Jetis District, Bantul, Yogyakarta. It is a countryside alive with its agricultural surroundings. Ricefields encircling almost the whole area are the main supporter of the village’s economy.

Nevertheless, if we take a closer look we can see some extraordinary sides which the other hamlets do not have. The extraordinary thing that is so plain to the eyes, the hamlet has long been a center of jamu gendong or jamu peddlers. Another exceptional thing that is less obvious is the pattern of life they choose, or better known as lifestyle, the villagers are nature oriented.

The traditional making of jamu, or herbal concoctions, has long been a culture carried out by their ancestors. From generation to generation, the “science” of jamu has been inherited in a natural manner, without any formal instigation whatsoever. “As far as I remember, jamu has been here since I was a child,” said Mrs. Sudiyatmi (50), who has been serving as the head of the hamlet for 21 years.

At present, about as many as 115 heads of family—particularly the women—are involved in the jamu making. Total number of residents of Kiringan hamlet is about 250 families. They are not only preparing the jamu, they also consume the herbal remedies themselves. Moreover, almost every woman in the hamlet is skillful to brew jamu elixirs.

They can come up with a potpourri of jamu concoctions, including beras kencur (rice galingale), uyup-uyup, kunir asem (curcuma and tamarind), and cabe puyeng (chili brew). The ingredients are all herbs, such as kencur (galingale root), jahe (ginger), sunti, empon-empon, kunyit (curcuma), temu ireng (curcuma aeruginosa or black curcuma) and temu lawak (curcuma xanthorrhiza). While they can buy these herbs at the traditional market, they also cultivate them at home.

The women start early in the morning preparing jamu, at about 5 am. Then they leave the hamlet at 8 to sell the jamu door to door. They would return home in the afternoon. “When we still have the jamu in our hands, we would keep selling. Otherwise we have to discard the leftovers,” said Ponijah (46) who markets the jamu in the area of Sumbermulyo Village, about 6 kilometers from her home.