Monkey Tamers

Kateni was a name that he mentioned when I met him at his lodging. He came from Blitar, a small town at southern of east Java, Indonesia. His unique profession interested me to know further more. He is a monkey tamer. It is not quite exactly but close to that. He exploits small intelligence of a monkey that can act like some things that people do daily. For instance, shopping, dancing, dress up, fishing and acrobatics, and any other funny action. Day to day on his bicycle he goes around from village to other village provides dancing monkey show. Children are the most of his consumers. On his luggage-carrier he installed a case for his monkey. Some people’s dummy daily accessories hung beside the case. A small drum made by him self is put on the handle-bar. This drum is always stroked all the way to attract children. It is about 12 inch in diameter and 30 centimeters of height.

He made his drum by him self, is to minimize his financial capital for his job. However, he must provide almost Rp. 2 million for all of his apparatus. It is not included the cost of the monkey that he bought at the pet market. For a 1.5 years old monkey, he paid Rp. 125,000. “Did you train your monkey by your self”, I asked. “No”, he answered preparing his trip. “I must send my monkey to the monkey trainer. The monkey will be a real good monkey dancer takes 6 months of training. I must spend another Rp. 1,000,000 for that”. In fact he can get monkey by trapping it from mangrove forest, specially at north cost of Java. But it is not so easy. To do that an expert is needed. So he think buying monkey is easier and chipper. He bought his just several months ago at pet market in Surabaya. Beside, he has many choices on the basis of financial and the need. According to Kateni, a certificate is not needed for his monkey. Other species is does. But he can not explain clearly why.

There was surprise statement from Kateni that actually he felt so sorry by infringing monkey right. He made monkey out from its real environment and made it loss its entire natural. From his deep insight felt real sorry so he tried hard to take care his monkey as good as he can. When I asked whether his monkey often capricious? He answered: “Monkey is just like human being. It can be exhausted, angry, or any other emotional as human being s are. Men like us aware about that condition. We are monkey tamers, always trying hard to understand what monkey want and like to. Even from the expressions. Monkey can be very upset when the audiences tread those bad or looks so lazy and week to express that they are hungry or tired.

Even monkey looks can understand that we don not get money all day long for some reasons. They can understand conversations among the monkey tamers. The contrary we do not easily understand them without hard effort. “Monkey trainer generally tells us the specific character every monkey to the owner”, add Kateni. “Are you satisfied with your yield mostly?” He smiled before answered my question, and “Difficult to say. The main point is we must cleverly manage no mater how much money we get. In a matter of fact, I have been working on this almost for ten years”.

While he prepared other need things he told me about his family who he left them at home.

”I have been here for 5 days. Mostly I left my family 7 to 10 days. Some friends of mine wanted me to joint them to Bali. I have been there for several days before. It is really good place to make money there. But I can’t help with smell of incense when the villagers want to see my monkey dancing. So I prefer to come after several days home”.

Then he said good bye to start the long day trip. OK Kateni, good luck. Enjoy your self.