NOKEN On An

Abdon Nababan presenting of 7 Steps to develop ommunity market/not market/on an/assembly/resolution center. (NOKEN/Anggit Saranta)

Story by A. Ruwidrijarto (NOKEN Connecting Community)

I heard this for the first time while nokening in Kasepuhan Karang, Lebak, Banten with several others, including abdON nababAN himself. He took out from his noken and shared with Jaro Wahid, the chief of the indigenous community, and everybody in that circle under the puspa trees, On An. This, he said, is how the Indigenous Peoples in the Batak Land in North Sumatra has an opportunity to gather, discuss issues, solve problems, exchange or sell products and services, meet the leaders, etcetera. Yes, it’s a regular community event with a long etcetera. On an is about everything concerning the community. It’s one of several keys that holds the community together.

I looked it up in the internet and found a Bataknesse site explains this as several things: a market (onan or pakkonan), this and that (on and an), here and there. See this article about on an: https://medanbisnisdaily.com/news/online/read/2017/12/21/17976/onan_pasar_tradisional_tidak_sekadar_tempat_transaksi_jual_beli/

In that article is a clear explanation on it from an expert (hint: his full name contains on and an).

Back to that circle under the puspa trees, on an was shared because Jaro Wahid, leader of Kasepuhan Karang was just sharing a crazy thing from his noken too, their idea to create a “community market but not market”. It will be a barter place that will not involve money. No selling and buying.

Someone from the community, say Ms. A, can go there and bring a bunch of bananas, for example, and exchange it with someone else, say Mr. B, who just so happen to be in need of bananas to prepare dinner for his family and has something matched with Ms. A need, for example a set of spanner and wrench to repair a machine.

Ms. A and Mr. B will have to agree whoheartedly to the exchange. Totally ikhlas even knowing the fact that in the usual market/economy the value of a bunch of bananas is about one tenth of that set of spanner and wrench.

Jaro Wahid said that this idea will work because this relies on deeper values than monetary/economy. This Kasepuhan Karang’s community market but not market will be based on love and care, give what you have, take what you need. Bananas and spanner- wrenches become equals in value when A has on and needs an, while B has an and needs on.

For Jaro Wahid and his people, the idea came about because day by day they experience that situation of having just a bunch of bananas and it will be absolutely challenging to bring that one bunch to the market in the nearest city and sell it there. Too costly, too complicated (oftenly compromising dignity too), and surely will not get the kind of money to buy that set of spanner-wrench, plus expenses for taxi and ice tea.

Moreover …surprise…surprise… It is more than just an idea, actually. Because Jaro Wahid and the kasepuhan have already completed the construction of a complex of several buildings for this community market but not market.

I’d say this is beyond crazy. Who in the world today can escape from It’s The Economy, Stupid. Cost and price and credit and SUVs and money?

Who will still have those values of giving and sharing, loving and caring to come to that community market but not market and bring only what is surplus and in stock, and take only what is needed?

But of course, under those puspa trees we, I, responded enthusiastically positively. It’s a great idea, let’s make it work. Learn and adapt and zapped.

Also, perhaps this Karang community can connect to Pagerharjo community, for example, who has been running the less crazy Sempulur Market, in which instead of getting rid completely of rupiah or dollar or any national currency they issued their own wooden coins for transaction within Sempulur Market. Perhaps out of that connection, Karang community can become less crazy and Pagerharjo community can be more crazy. Or: both becomes totally outworldly crazy. Who knows?

As the story goes, the on an out of Abdon Nababan’s noken was gratiously accepted by everyone under those puspa trees. Especially the presentation of 7 Steps to develop community market/not market/on an/assembly/resolution center. Of which I honestly can only remember one: in learning and adapting and improving…just get it on (an, 2020).

That’s a good one, let’s crazily noken on an…