Revealing the Existence of Kepeng Currency: A Study on the Existence and Value of Kepeng in Bali
Money kepeng or pis bolong or jinah bolong (in Balinese) is the name of a coin that was once a legal tender (currency) in trade transactions in Bali. In Balinese, the word ‘money’ is called pis or pipis. The name pis is still commonly used in Balinese society. Furthermore, bolong (in Balinese) means a hole. So pis bolong means money (metal) with holes. This money is then round with a hole in the middle and is rectangular, square or equilateral.
The circulation of the kepeng money in Bali historically originated from China and was published by the Zhou dynasty (127–221 BC). In Uang Kepeng, the philosophy of the round shape symbolizes the sky and heaven, while the square-shaped center hole symbolizes the earth. The concept of heaven and earth is what later became the ideology of the people in China which is based on the doctrine of Tian Ming (mandate from heaven), namely the source of the highest government authority is the ruler of the sky.
Money kepeng that entered Indonesia, especially in Bali, was brought by Chinese traders. This shows that there are close ties/relationships between Bali and China that have been going on since the Han dynasty. However, long before that, Chinese culture, especially about metal culture, had been known by the Balinese in prehistoric times. As one of the proofs is the existence of a physical form in the form of nekara bronze which is sacred at Penataran Sasih Temple in Pejeng Village (Gianyar) namely “Pejeng Moon”.
Then, the kepeng money that had circulated in Bali apart from China also came from Japan which is also the original money of the archipelago. The types of pis bolong (money kepeng) that have been circulating in Bali include pis gebogan, pis jaring, pis lumrah, pis krinyah, pis lembang, pis koci and pis wadhon. Uang Kepeng can be distinguished based on its thickness, midline and letters written on the front surface (sleh-obverse) and the back surface (trep-reverse).
Chinese money (uang kepeng or pis bolong), which was circulated around 1,100 years ago, has been discontinued for use as a means of transactions (payments/purchases) at the local level since the early 1950s. Before the closing of the use of the kepeng currency, people in Bali used the money for various purposes, ranging from buying food needs (rice, vegetables, meat) at the market, snacks in the school area, watching movies (usually puppeteers), or Basically it can be used as anything whose purpose involves exchange as a basic need.
After the 1950s, the Indonesian government then issued RIS (Republic of United States of Indonesia’s Currency) and ORI (Republic of Indonesia’s Currency) as official transaction payment instruments which later replaced the kepeng currency. Although this pis bolong is no longer a means of payment, its existence is still circulating in the lives of Balinese people, especially as a means of ceremony (implementation of activities) in Bali. Throughout history, Uang Kepeng is still considered important for the Balinese people (especially the Hindu community), because it represents various aspects such as soul, culture, religion, social, politics and economy.
At present, the value of the Uang Kepeng is only related to the implementation related to culture in the fields of art and religion, while from the social, political and economic fields it is no longer applicable. Its existence, which is still very necessary for the continuity of rituals or ceremonies in Bali, makes the existence of Uang Kepeng still sustainable, but it cannot be denied that from an economic point of view it cannot be used. However, the main focus is how the Balinese people can do to preserve the culture they have, especially the pis bolong.
The Existence of Pis Bolong as Balinese Kepeng (Kartal)
After the Indonesian government issued the rupiah currency as an official means of payment, the kepeng currency then lost its function as a means of payment transactions. But in reality, this pis bolong (kepeng money) continues to circulate in Balinese society. This is inseparable from the use of Uang Kepeng as a means of Hindu religious ceremonies whose function is to complete the cumulative process of the continuation of the religious ceremony.
In carrying out the yadnya ceremony in Bali, it takes a pure attitude and mentality and has a sincere sense of sincerity to carry it out. The process in it also requires equipment for yadnya which is referred to as upakara or offerings (banten). This offering aims to convey gratitude to Ida Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa (God) for the blessings given to natural life and its contents. As for the types of offering materials, starting from leaves, flowers, fruits, snacks, rice or sources from similar natural products, then they are formed and arranged in one container that forms an offering. Another element that is quite important in this offering is the Uang Kepeng.
The kepeng money in the offering of this offering serves as a sesari. Sesari comes from the word ‘sari’ which means the core. The stamen (core) of a flower is known as the pistil, stamen or pollen. The juice in an egg is called the yolk. So it can be concluded that the sari is the essence of an object, which is then placed in the offering of the kepeng money as a form of the noblest value (core) of an offering to God.
Although coins issued by the Indonesian government are widely circulated and are used as legal payment transactions at this time, Balinese people prefer Uang Kepeng as sesari. The use of this pis bolong as a sesari has a philosophical meaning, namely Uang Kepeng with a round shape that symbolizes the sky (heaven), and as a symbol of the earth is a rectangular hole in the middle of the Uang Kepeng. As a symbol of heaven and earth, it can be interpreted that Uang Kepeng symbolizes eternity (eternal) and temporary. Eternity and temporality are binary oppositions that are intertwined in unity with God.
The Value of Pis Bolong for the Balinese
In its development, in Bali, until now the Uang Kepeng designed by the Kamasan Bali industry in particular has undergone a fairly long design process. Every symbol found on Uang Kepeng is a suggestion from various circles of society. These suggestions are then accommodated and selected which are then transformed into one of the symbols in Uang Kepeng. The most common symbols used are the symbols Sa, Ba, Ta, and A (according to the four cardinal directions). We can see this symbol in Uang Kepeng which is often used as a means of Yadnya ceremonies in Bali.
Uang kepeng has a religious function in Balinese society after it is no longer a means of payment transactions. Uang kepeng contributes to the development of arts and culture in Bali. Quoted from the journal entitled Genealogy of the Role of Uang Kepeng in Balinese Society, the various functions possessed by the Uang Kepeng include, among others, as a means (sesari and praraga) in Hindu religious ceremonies, as cultural objects (as a gambling game tool and as a talisman), and as a talisman. culture industry.
The use of the kepeng currency in the social life of the Balinese people cannot be separated from the ideology and power behind it, namely the ideology of offering, pleasure, and the desire to dominate. When Uang Kepeng is made as a souvenir, it cannot be separated from the ideology of the culture industry. The principles that underlie the culture industry include mass production, commodity aesthetics, profit motives, mechanical production systems, and standardization. Based on this principle, the production of the cultural industry displays a general impression, is cheap, and is vulgar.