4 RESULTS
Samin Surosentiko is the pioneer of Samin teaching.
Samin comes from “Sami-sami amin … Sami-sami
jowone sami-sami negarane,” meaning that they are
a group of people with the same destiny. If they are
united, they can defend the country. Dusun Jepang,
Margomulyo, Bojonegoro is one of the areas where
the Samin people live, and most of the population are
followers of Saminism. In the past, access to the
village was difficult because it is in the middle of teak
forests and rocky dirt roads. However, the village is
now open, which can be seen from the many visits by
outsiders to the village. In this sense, the village is
now easily accessible. At the present time, many
people refer to the Samin as a tribe; however, Mbah
Hardjo Kardi, as a descendant of Samin Surosentiko,
states unequivocally that this is wrong. Samin people
include tribal Javanese. The Samin people can be
understood as a society that has its own uniqueness
and has undergone many changes, although there are
still values that have been maintained.
One aspect of uniqueness can be seen in Mbah
Hardjo Kardi’s typical dress: a headband, a batik
shirt, and black pants to the ankles. The economic life
of the Samin people is considered as advanced. In this
regard, the Samin people feel they have enough in
their lives: no exaggeration and no shortage:
“Manungsa niku nek nuruti kurang nggih kurang
terus to,” according to Mbah Hardjo Kardi.
The majority of the Samin people are farmers and
cattlemen. According to the Samin people, being a
farmer is the cleanest, nicest, and most honest
profession. They avoid trading because they assume
that this is opening oneself up to lies. However,
according to Mbah Hardjo Kardi, the Samin people
may trade, but they must prioritize honesty and
transparency in determining any profit. It is evident
that there are small stores in the Samin people’s
settlements:
“Dagang niku angsal nanging ojo geroh. Satus
nggih muni satus. Mek bati yo mek bati. Kulakan
kaleh ewu ajeng mek bati pinten mawon nggih
dudohke.” (Trading is allowed, but it is forbidden to
lie. If it costs a hundred rupiah, say a hundred rupiah.
If you want to make a profit, that’s okay, but show
how much profit you get).
Besides an emphasis on honesty, the Samin
people also have hereditary teachings, and when they
apply these teaching they can become great human
beings (Mbah Hardjo Kardi gives two thumbs up):
“Ojo ngantos nglakoni drengi, srei, dahwen,
kemeren lan siya marang sapadha-padhaning urip,
kudune gotong royong, rukun. Mpon ngantek mbedo
sepodo mirang sepodo. Ngeplak anak nggitik bojo
mboten angsal nopo maleh tonggo.” (Do not be
jealous, envious, or arbitrary to others; help each
other be harmonious).
The Samin did not want to pay taxes in the
colonial period because, at that time, the Indonesians
did not rule themselves and the Dutch were very
arbitrarily in regard to collecting taxes. This behavior
is in accordance with postcolonial theory, which
focuses on indigenous cultures as the oppressed
cultures of the rule of colonialism. Mbah Hardjo
Kardi, with a fiery tone, stated:
“Pajek niku kangge mbangun negoro londo, mriki
dibageni ampas tok.” (Taxes were only used to build
the colonial state, while Indonesians got nothing).
“Bapake niki ngantos purun ngrampok kangge
ngingoni rakyat, mboten kangge awake kiyambak.”
(…and Samin Surosentiko had to become a thief to
help the poor people).
So, Samin Surosentiko, who was a pioneer of the
Samin movement against the invaders, advised his
offspring not to pay taxes to the Dutch in the hope that
all his grandchildren could unite as one against them.
In this sense, the purpose of refusing to pay taxes was
like soft warfare, or om sumuruping banyu, which
means like a needle into water.
“Sebab perang iki mau tanpa sarana gegaman
utawa sing diarani senjata, sebab mbah surasentika
emoh mateni, emoh menthung uwong nanging kudu
sabar lan trokal.” (In this war, we do not use
weapons on the ground because Samin Surosentiko
does not want to kill and beat people. Be patient).
This behavior is in accordance with planned
behavior theory, which states that specific behaviors
can be considered as a reflection of past experiences.
It is also shows that normative beliefs produce a
component called subjective norms, which represents
one’s perceptions about the behavior of others.
Further, subjective norms indicate the extent to which
the social environment affects the behavior of an
individual. Samin people are very obedient to
Samin’s teachings. Even through Samin Surosentiko
is dead, his teaching continues. Until the country was
independent, the Samin rejected the taxes because
their lives were lived mainly in the forests.
However, when he heard that the country was
free, Suriokarto Kamidin went to Jakarta to meet with
Pak Karno (President Soekarno) in order to asked him
directly about the truth of the current regulation. After
returning from Jakarta, he immediately told his
grandchildren to obey the government because it
ruled the nation of Indonesia: