Page 15 - THE MELANESIA DIASPORA FILE CETAK ISI 10022017

ocean, since more than a hundred years ago. By those explanations of the event which
once took place in the region so called in order to unite all of the islands, then should it
be doubtful if the border between history—the authentic events happening in the past—
and the legend— the events that might have happened —has blurred and even instantly
mixed up? Therefore it is understandable if the historical certainties of the region of the
Majapahit Kingdom can also be blurred. In such a context, it can also be understood that
in some regions, even in the Eastern part of the Indonesian archipelago, various types of
oral traditions and collective memories of the Majapahit can also be told. Many stories
about Gajah Mada have been repeated up to now. In a village’s tradition in Bima, Sumbawa
for example, there is a story which tells that this well-known Prime Minister of Majapahit
was actually born in that village. In his teens, he left the village as he went wandering and
finally arrived at the capital of the Majapahit. In his old days he came back home. After he
died, he was buried in his birthplace.
Is it something weird if the past romanticism is made as one of the bases when the
desired ideological rights, order and basis of the society are being fought for? Is the historical
romanticism, which dreams of the return of the past imagined as a lost glorious era, a gaffe
when the pride as a nation is rising up? Whatever the answer might be, a certainty in the
historical experience shall not be forgotten—a historical romanticism is not only the basis
of legitimization of a struggle to get a desired future but also the description and even
idealism of the desired condition of the nation’s socio-politics. Historical romanticism does
usually accompany nationalistic desire because in such a feeling, one of the foundations as
well as boosters of the spirit of struggle can be maintained. Isn’t nationalism an ideological
basis which dreams of creating a socio-political order which is ideal for the unity of the
socio-politics already called a “nation”? So this romantic attitude has been growing up in
seeing the past since the modern nationalism awareness.
Modern nationalism stems from political desire and socio-cultural desire to create a
modern society and country—a situation which exceeds the level of welfare, the civilization
level and the value of various societal bonds which used to be enjoyed by the ancestors.
When the modern political desire has started to blossom in the society’s hearts then the
romantic vision of the nation’s history is grown and spread more. In such a situation of
feeling and ideal, the shadow of glory in the past becomes the source of inspiration even as
the basis of aspiration in the future which is dreamt of and fought for. Nationalism indeed is
an idealism which dreams of establishing a modern nation-society which has the tendency
to get a romantic vision of the past moments which were not distracted by colonialism.

Introduction 15

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