An Initial Report on the Search for the Missing Gamelan Heritage of the Sumenep Palace, Madura, East Java-Indonesia

Abstract

This research endeavors to locate the long-lost heirloom gamelan from the Sumenep Palace. Since the abolition of aristocratic status in 1883, the Sumenep Palace has lost political and economic legitimacy. To maintain the luxurious lifestyle of the aristocratic court, valuable items, including gamelans, were sold. The heirloom gamelans in the Sumenep Palace are believed to have been gifts from the Mataram Palace, often exchanged during various events, such as marriages. Employing an investigative ethnographic approach, this study gathered data through in-depth interviews with cultural practitioners, palace descendants, and private collectors; direct observation of remaining artifacts; and analysis of historical documents and archival records. As a result, the Gamelan Kyai Mega Remeng, over 200 years old, was discovered in the possession of a Chinese descendant, strongly suspected to be one of the missing gamelans from the Sumenep Palace. The gamelan's discovery tells a narrative of the harmonious relationship between the Sumenep Palace and Islamic Mataram in Java, extending beyond conflicts such as war, violence, and betrayal.