Ondel-ondel. Photo by Supri/Reuters
There are few things more terrifying to Jakarta kids than the first time they see the ondel-ondel. These massive, doll-faced puppets dance stiffly down the streets of the Indonesian capital, where they are a part of local Betawi culture. But what's important for one culture, can be scary to another, and I can remember feeling fright the first time I saw one of these huge things coming toward me in traffic.Now that I'm much, much older, the ondel-ondel is no longer scary. But it's still mysterious. How hot does it get in there? Who does this as a job? And how well does it pay? I spoke with Febri Rahman, a 20-year-old ondel-ondel who routinely performs on the street in front of VICE's Indonesia office to figure this out.VICE: What made you become an ondel-ondel?
Febri Rahman: I started to work as an ondel-ondel in high school, that was about five years ago. I’ve always wanted to be an ondel-ondel because I want to help preserve the Betawi culture. I live in Pasar Gaplok, which is known as the kampung of the ondel-ondel, because most of people who live there do this for a living. I personally just want to preserve the Betawi culture, that’s all.How does it feel inside the costume, is it hot?
I'm used to it by now. It’s what I do. At first, it felt awkward because the costume is so heavy, and I didn’t really know how to dance in it. It still feels hot, really hot, especially when I walk for two or three hours straight in that costume. The most important thing is that we have the willpower. It doesn’t matter if you’re small or big, if you really want it, you’ll find a way.
Watch: Life as a Living Latex Female Doll
Have you ever passed out?
Never. I’ve heard that some have people passed out, but I don’t know them personally. Mostly I just trip over something. Again, the costume is heavy, and it’s hard to see when you’re in it. The holes for your eyes are real tiny.Was there some sort of training to be an ondel-ondel?
Yes. We had to learn to play the gambang, a traditional music instrument used in the songs we dance to. We’re taught in the studio. We usually practice for two-to-three hours at a time. But nobody taught us how to dance in the costume. We just use our instincts. You just gotta be brave. The first time I did it, I was too scared, too scared to fall.How much do you make every day?
Enough to feed myself. Sometimes I get Rp 50,000, or Rp 85,000 ($3.36 to 5.71 USD) tops. But every morning the studio gives us a loan of around Rp 150,000 ($10 USD), and at the end of the day we usually get Rp 500,000 ($33 USD) from them. We’ll pay Rp 70,000 ($4.70 USD) for the costume rent, and pay back the loan, which leaves us around Rp 200,000 ($13 USD) for the four of us to take home.Is there a community for ondel-ondel?
Yeah, of course. My studio slash community is called Sanggar Betawi Matahari Queen. We’d hang out together and play gambang. Sometimes we'll also meet to fix the costumes. We hang out around Pasar Gaplok. There’s around ten people who work as ondel-ondel there, but there are also other communities. Back in my hometown there’s a lot of studios, like Sanggar Apatir, Miami CS Irama Betawi, et-cetera. Every studio has its own boss who gives daily loans.So you rent the costume?
Yeah. I rent the costume from the studio. But some of us own the costume. But it’s pretty expensive, it costs around Rp 3 million ($201 USD).Ondel-ondel has many forms and types. Is there a certain standard of beauty for ondel-ondel?
Usually the costume is red, cream or pink. It’s pretty, and it's better if it’s wearing a shawl. Female ondel-ondel have to have eyelashes, pink cheeks, and eyeshadow. We’re taught to groom our ondel-ondel. We gotta look good. But usually it’s the old men in the studio who do it. And they do it for free, they don’t want to get paid. They just love what they do.Do people on street get upset because of all the noise?
All the time! Usually at places where we feel like outsiders. We usually walk until late at night, so some people get upset with us. Usually it’s non-Betawi people who get upset. I usually just apologize. A friend of mine always wants to talk back. But he never did. We just apologize and don't come back there the next day. I don’t take it personally.What’s the biggest satisfaction from this job?
There’s a lot, honestly. I’m happy because back in the day, only old people worked as ondel-ondel. But now younger people do it too. It's good preserve our culture, to help it grow. In the studio there are a lot of young people who care about the ondel-ondel traditions, who learn to play the instruments, and fix the costumes. There are also kids—around seven to eight years old—who try to be an ondel-ondel, because they've seen us work since they were little. One day I want to have a more serious job, everybody does. But for now, I really like being an ondel-ondel.
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Febri Rahman: I started to work as an ondel-ondel in high school, that was about five years ago. I’ve always wanted to be an ondel-ondel because I want to help preserve the Betawi culture. I live in Pasar Gaplok, which is known as the kampung of the ondel-ondel, because most of people who live there do this for a living. I personally just want to preserve the Betawi culture, that’s all.How does it feel inside the costume, is it hot?
I'm used to it by now. It’s what I do. At first, it felt awkward because the costume is so heavy, and I didn’t really know how to dance in it. It still feels hot, really hot, especially when I walk for two or three hours straight in that costume. The most important thing is that we have the willpower. It doesn’t matter if you’re small or big, if you really want it, you’ll find a way.
Watch: Life as a Living Latex Female Doll
Have you ever passed out?
Never. I’ve heard that some have people passed out, but I don’t know them personally. Mostly I just trip over something. Again, the costume is heavy, and it’s hard to see when you’re in it. The holes for your eyes are real tiny.
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Yes. We had to learn to play the gambang, a traditional music instrument used in the songs we dance to. We’re taught in the studio. We usually practice for two-to-three hours at a time. But nobody taught us how to dance in the costume. We just use our instincts. You just gotta be brave. The first time I did it, I was too scared, too scared to fall.How much do you make every day?
Enough to feed myself. Sometimes I get Rp 50,000, or Rp 85,000 ($3.36 to 5.71 USD) tops. But every morning the studio gives us a loan of around Rp 150,000 ($10 USD), and at the end of the day we usually get Rp 500,000 ($33 USD) from them. We’ll pay Rp 70,000 ($4.70 USD) for the costume rent, and pay back the loan, which leaves us around Rp 200,000 ($13 USD) for the four of us to take home.Is there a community for ondel-ondel?
Yeah, of course. My studio slash community is called Sanggar Betawi Matahari Queen. We’d hang out together and play gambang. Sometimes we'll also meet to fix the costumes. We hang out around Pasar Gaplok. There’s around ten people who work as ondel-ondel there, but there are also other communities. Back in my hometown there’s a lot of studios, like Sanggar Apatir, Miami CS Irama Betawi, et-cetera. Every studio has its own boss who gives daily loans.So you rent the costume?
Yeah. I rent the costume from the studio. But some of us own the costume. But it’s pretty expensive, it costs around Rp 3 million ($201 USD).Ondel-ondel has many forms and types. Is there a certain standard of beauty for ondel-ondel?
Usually the costume is red, cream or pink. It’s pretty, and it's better if it’s wearing a shawl. Female ondel-ondel have to have eyelashes, pink cheeks, and eyeshadow. We’re taught to groom our ondel-ondel. We gotta look good. But usually it’s the old men in the studio who do it. And they do it for free, they don’t want to get paid. They just love what they do.Do people on street get upset because of all the noise?
All the time! Usually at places where we feel like outsiders. We usually walk until late at night, so some people get upset with us. Usually it’s non-Betawi people who get upset. I usually just apologize. A friend of mine always wants to talk back. But he never did. We just apologize and don't come back there the next day. I don’t take it personally.What’s the biggest satisfaction from this job?
There’s a lot, honestly. I’m happy because back in the day, only old people worked as ondel-ondel. But now younger people do it too. It's good preserve our culture, to help it grow. In the studio there are a lot of young people who care about the ondel-ondel traditions, who learn to play the instruments, and fix the costumes. There are also kids—around seven to eight years old—who try to be an ondel-ondel, because they've seen us work since they were little. One day I want to have a more serious job, everybody does. But for now, I really like being an ondel-ondel.