Krakatau and Syekh Dapur’s shrine

Oyos Saroso H.N.

The Krakatau Islands are an important part of the lives of coastal communities in Lampung, especially those around Sebesi and Sebuku islands, and Canti and Rajabasa villages in South Lampung regency.

For local residents, the waters around the Krakatau Islands are not just for fishing but are regarded as an extension of the community, which is why the presence of outsiders fishing in the area and damaging the sea around Krakatau with fish bombs is highly resented.

The traditional fishing communities living along the coast of Lampung strongly believe that Mount Anak Krakatau and the waters around it are protected by a “guardian”, whom they call Syekh Dapur, or Syekh Gofur.

Historically, Syech Dapur was a 17th-century cleric who ruled the Krakatau Islands area. He was believed to have died while meditating on Mt. Rajabasa, near Kalianda, South Lampung.

The traditional communities in Rajabasa believe that Syekh Dapur was the ruler of the Krakatau area. They call Syekh Dapur’s supernatural powers Keramat Syekh Dapur, or Syekh Dapur’s shrine.

Although Syekh Dapur passed away a long time ago, and his grave was lost in the Krakatau tsunami in 1883, his figure is still recognized, especially by local people who often perform a ritual in honor of the cleric when they set out to sea to fish, or sail toward Mt. Anak Krakatau.

“Syekh Dapur would manifest his supernatural powers to anyone not believing in his presence through the occurrence of huge waves, not catching a single fish or stage performances in the middle of the sea.

“The stage performance in the middle of the sea is just an illusion. But those who don’t believe in the powers of Syekh Dapur feel they are watching a crowded stage show,” Miftahudin, a 50-year-old fisherman in Rajabasa village, said.

Miftahudin said that to show their respect to Syekh Dapur, fishermen around Krakatau Islands usually prayed and extended their greetings by saying “Greetings to Keramat Syekh Dapur, I’m just passing through” when they are in the middle of the ocean.

He said the fishermen believed that such greetings would provide them with strength and fortune, such as getting a big catch and friendly winds.

“It usually takes a large fishing boat around six hours to sail from Canti to Krakatau, but if you’re unlucky and fail to respect Syekh Dapur, the journey could take up to 10 hours due to the strong winds,” he said.

Residents believe the damage to two PT Ascho Unggul Pratama sand dredgers, which were carrying out sand quarrying on Mt. Anak Krakatau, was a bad omen for the workers and the company.

News spread quickly among the residents the moment the two vessels and a barge broke down.

The vessels, with which Ascho had planned to pump as much as 3.4 million cubic meters of sand from Mt. Anak Krakatau’s slopes, broke down during a trial run. Initially, the vessels would have operated for up to three years.

At the suggestion of local residents, a thanksgiving gathering was held on Oct. 18, 2009, to ask for permission from Syekh Dapur. A goat was sacrificed in honor of Syekh Dapur during the event, which was attended by Ascho workers and Sebesi islanders.

Many residents were also in attendance because of the company’s campaign that it would carry out disaster mitigation efforts to help the local community in the event of an eruption.

“If we knew they had taken sand, we would have immediately driven the vessels out the moment they arrived,” said a Sebesi islander, Mukhtar.

Ascho’s vessels and barge resumed operations on Oct. 19, but abruptly stopped the sand quarrying five days later.

“The company is in a difficult position, especially now that Walhi *the Indonesian Forum for the Environment* and the media are aware of our operations here,” a company boat skipper told Sebesi islanders while mooring his vessel off the coast of Sebesi Island.