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In several countries
of Europe, people have gone through emotional moments, when they had to
say farewell to their beloved coins, which were being replaced by the
Euro. The banknotes are fine, very colorful and well designed, but the
coins are not as good as our old ones some people said. And yet, their
queens and kings and other dignitaries can still be seen on those coins.
Even the saying God zij met ons (God be with us) are still engraved on
the sides of the Dutch coins.
We in Indonesia have gone through the fading away of so many coins that we are indifferent when new coins appear and old ones disappear. Think of the 1 sen coin that came into use in the 50s together with the 5 sen, 10 sen, 25 sen and 1 rupiah to replace the Dutch Colonial currency. Where are they now? Nobody can tell, I guess.
Then came the 1 rupiah, 5 rupiah, 10 rupiah, 25 and 50 rupiahs to keep in pace with the inflation. But they were soon kept in a special container in the cars, to be distributed to beggars only. We now have the 100, 500 and 1000 rupiah coins, and cross our fingers that they will stay longer with us.
She was 80 years old when she could no longer go to the market to do her daily shopping, but she continued to cook. Her cooking was always well received, because they were delicious. These recipes were from Mother's grandmother, who looked after her since her own mother passed away at the age of 26.
We have probably been more emotional with the Dutch Colonial money that had dominated our lives in the Tempo doeloe (past times) era. Children were named after them: a big dark girl may be named Gobang, a big coin made of copper worth 2 and a half cent. The metal ususally turned dark after some us. A little fair girl is sometimes called picis, a small silver coin worth ten cents.
All these coins were withdrawn when Indonesia became independent. The new free government made the Indonesian rupiah the sole legal currency. It was accepted in all the islands, except the Riau and Singkep islands, where the money of the Malay Archipelago were still in use.
Many people tried to hold on to the old Dutch coins by converting them into waistbands, chairs or other accessories. One woman had a collection of gobangs, which would come in handy for kerok. Kerok is a traditional healing method, whereby the back is scratched with the coin untill it becomes red. This promotes the blood circulation and heals headaches and colds.
So, with this in mind, I am convinced that Mother will be able to tackle this final journey, especially when we know that she shall be accompanied by the Lord to return to His side in peace.
Even the Balinese people accepted the rupiah, although they had never fully accepted the Dutch money during the time that they were under Dutch rule.
In 1921 De Kat Angelino wrote an article in the journal Koloniale Studien entitled The kĖpĖng op Bali and wondered why the Balinese preferred the simple kĖpĖng, a copper coin with a square hole in the middle, to the Dutch, British or Mexican money made of silver and sometimes even gold. In the eyes of the Balinese these coins made of precious metal were just metal pieces good enough to melt into jewelry. In a study by Ida Bagus Sidemen read at a seminar, the kĖpĖng or pis bolong were coins originating from Cina, Japan or Vietnam were brought into Bali since many ages and were important as legal currency, but also in religious ceremonies, cultural manifestations and gambling. To this day, many of them can be found in objects of arts, such as religious decorations, sculptures, paintings and even as murals. And now a little secret: Many shopkeepers put a coin in their floral offerings and placed it in their drawer, hoping that this coin will multiplied by the Gods.
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