Since this book is in many respects a culmination of 38 years of off-and-on-again fieldwork, there are hundreds of people who should be thanked. This is neither surprising, nor feasible, nor interesting. So, with apologies to the many people left out, I want to provide a brief chronology of peoples that were essential to bringing this manuscript (and often, my career) to fruition.
Dr. I Madé Bandem was my first research sponsor back in January, 1983, when I was conducting fieldwork as a Master’s student in ethnomusicology from University of Hawai‘i. The 14-month fieldwork began in South and south-central Bali, extended to East Bali (Karangasem), then concluded with work on Lombok. I was concentrating on the Balinese musics of Lombok. “Pak” Bandem and his wife, Suasti, found me a place and family to live with on Lombok, and I thank them. Another person in Bali to thank is Dr. I Wayan Dibia, who sponsored one research trip and consulted with me on several occasions. My two primary inspirations at University of Hawai‘i were the late Professor Hardja Susilo, who first suggested that I work on Lombok, and Dr. Ricardo Trimillos, who chaired my Master’s thesis and has been a mentor over the past 40 years.
I lived with the late I Wayan Kartawirya and the newly late (d. 2021) and well-known dancer from Bali, Ni Madé Darmi, in Cakranegara, Lombok, for periods of time over years. I thank them and their families for welcoming me – and I thank my wife Maxine and children Malini, Colin, and Gaby, too, for accommodating my absences. On Lombok, I was sponsored by Haja Sri Yaningsih and the Bidang Kesenian (Arts Section) of the Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan (Ministry of Education and Culture) and I thank “Bu” Sri and many of her staff, especially the late Ida Wayan Pasha, the late Max Arifin, I Nengah Kayun, Pak Darto, and Abdul Hamid. During the time completing my doctorate at ucla, my mentor was Dr. Sue DeVale, who chaired my dissertation committee and was always supportive. One person on the committee to thank posthumously is Dr. Nazir Jairazbhoy, who noticed some bias in my writing and worked with me to correct it.
During later trips to Lombok, I stayed with Lalu Wiramaja and his wife, who were so good to me. The provincial Taman Budaya (Culture Center) greatly assisted me and was headed by a succession of people over the past 38 years. I particularly want to thank Endah Setyorini, who headed the Taman Budaya for some time and members of the staff there, particularly I Komang Kantun, who has been a main interlocutor over decades. Bpk Mustiawan is a former head to thank as well. More recently my work brought me into contact with individuals working at organizations only obliquely related to government
The primary person to thank during my research in 2017 is Haji Lalu Dany Hasbullah, who was both driver and co-manager for my activities. I met Pak Dany years earlier and am happy to say he has assisted some of us in pasea (Performing Arts of Southeast Asia subgroup of International Council for Traditional Music or ictm) during an arranged visit in 2014. One other person who was so helpful in 2017 was Ki Ageng Sadarudin, who arranged meetings and performances with some musicians on my behalf. I am indebted to these individuals. I was invited to meet with the Rowot Sasak group organized by Haji Lalu Agus Fathurrahman, who also served as head of Taman Budaya for a time, is a specialist on Sasak culture, and welcomed me to his home. One helpful younger person in the Rowot Sasak was Amaq Mawardi, who unfortunately died during the covid-19 pandemic. Dr. I Gedé Yudarta, a Balinese scholar who completed his dissertation at Udayana University on reviving Sasak traditional music, definitely needs to be acknowledged.
So many others should be thanked. At Lingsar there were the late Pemangku Sanusi, Pemangku Suparman, Anak Agung Gedé Biarsah, the late Pemangku Negara, the late Pemangku Asmin, and I Wayan Kereped, who also became pemangku (priest) with the name Kertayasa. A select few others I’d like to mention include Ki Budiman, a dalang (puppeteer) important to my work on the shadow play, wayang Sasak; Amaq Hamdi, a musician and leader of 4–5 ensembles at Montor; Amaq Senen and Amaq Dumsiah, two great son/father musicians; Amaq Zakaria, who heads the troupe, Panca Pesona, in Pemenang; Bpk Ramiun, a retired teacher/performer who had his own troupe; Datu Artadi, descendent of kingdom in Tanjung; Bpk Itrawadi, culture leader in Bayan; Bpk Sukrati, culture and arts leader in Desa Adat Senaru; Raden Gedarip, leader in Bayan (big thanks!); Amaq Kiki, Amaq Murnazi, and especially Haji Purnipa in Sembalun Bumbung; Dr. Erni Budiwanti, a scholar who conducts fieldwork in Lombok and contacts me regularly; Dr. Mohamad Abdun Nasir, a fine scholar working on Lombok and teaching at Universitas Islam Negara (uin) Mataram; the popular dangdut and cilokaq singer, Erni Ayuningsih; the reggae manager and rock musician, Novi Bhavan; the late Bpk Martinom, a Buddhist leader who befriended and accompanied me to an important ceremony in 1988, and Bpk Meta, a current Buddhist leader in Tebango; the late culture leader Bpk Rahil, who developed an ashram promoting the arts in the village of Lenek; some
I give thanks also to grant committees at Fulbright-Hayes (iie and doe), University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, University of California Los Angeles, and Bowling Green State University. I extend great gratitude to the Faculty Research Grant committee at University of San Diego and to my dean, Dr. Noelle Norton, for funding my fieldwork and approving research in 2017, respectively. I thank Brill Press and acquiring editor, Chunyan Shu, for her guidance in the publication process.
My wife, Maxine, endured a great many months of my being gone – and over a 37-year period – either to Lombok or to Bali, and only rarely was she able to join me. Thank you, my love.