Abangan in Bugis society?

 Books about (past of) Indonesia appear again and again in the Netherlands, even in a period of Covid-19, when books shops are closed and distribution is only through internet-orders, while communication through life presentations and discussions ('bedah buku') is not possible yet. A new book last week was by Jan Brokken, De Tuinen van Buitenzorg (The Gardens of Buitenzorg).  Brokken (born 1949 in Leiden) is the son of a Protestant Minister, who worked as a missionary in Southwest Sulawesi between 1935-1946 (including livingas a risoner in Japenese ca,ps, 1943-5). The book is not based on the work of his father, but on the 39 letters written by his mother to her sister while living in Indonesia. Brokken never paid much attention to this material, partly because the family liked often to talk about Indonesia, where Jan Brokken himself never lived and only saw a country during two turistic trips.

For several reasons, I became quite in his father Joseph C. Brokken, who was sent to study a movement in the island of Selayar, established as a independent movement around 1910 by Haji Abdul Gani Daneng Maurapi ibn Rakhman (ca 1846-1922) as Igama Binanga Benteng after the place where he lived. This movement can be compared to the 'aliran kepercayaan' of Madrais in West Java (Kuningan, Ceribon, but also Garut). After the Pacific War this Buginese movement became known as the Mukhdi Akbar Movement. Initially they remained, like the Madrais people, between Islam and (elements of) Christianity, moreor less as an individual tarekat. But after 1965 they were forced to opt for one of the five major religions and the majority then wanted to remain Muslim, but hundreds also wanted to stress their Protestant Christian identity and formally asked for Baptism (where quite many Madrais people became Catholic, of whom somealso 'returned' to Islam.

A second movement started in in the town in the early 1930s of Makassar as PMKI, Perkoempoelan Menoentoet Kebenaran Igama or 'Society for the search of religious truth'. According to some it was close to theosophy, but others wanted to curb it to reformed Islam, like Muhammadiyah. Reverend Blokker became in 1937 an official advisor, and he hoped that quite many of its members would turn to Christianity, but it remained a liberal debating network.

A third free movement started in Soppeng, about 100km north of Makassar, by one Haji La Galiti(k), born about 1900 in a noble family. He was head of an unnamed village,had performed the hajj and thrugh Qur'an reading became convinced that Jesus was the greatest Prophet. He met reverend Blokker in September 1939 and was baptised in March 1940, together with one La Salomo. 15 May 1940 they were followed by 150 sympathizers. In December 1941 this group had grown to some 800.After the Pacific War, in 1945 they had grown to some 2000. They are a quite rare example of people whocame to Christianity through the Muslim story and doctrine about Jesus.

Buginese society has, like Javanese culture, a great literary religious work, the I La Galigo. Like Javenese societyit has a strong pre-Islamic identity, which is still fostered until nowadays, notwithstanding the formal Islamization in the fist decade of the 17th century. So, one may question whether there is something like an abangan or non-Arab, Islam, where also pre-islamic and other traditions are kept. Some contribution for the idea of Islam Nusantara?

The title of the new book is taken from a great piano work by the Polish-American composer, Leopold Godowsky (1870-1930), who wrote in 1924-5 a Java Suite, where the Gardens of Buitenzorg are no 8 (out of 10). Godowsky liked to include elements of gamelan music in his compositions.