The Urup-urup Market in the Tradition of Food Sovereignty
The Wanua Brata exhibition officially closed with the revival of the Urup-urup Market, a bartering tradition in the village of Sidorejo that places mutual trust above the face value of money. Through the exchange of a diverse range of agricultural produce during the harvest season, this market is not merely an economic transaction, but a manifestation of the ethic of sufficiency and ancient social technologies that ensure food security for every household.
tanti w.
Author
The Wanua Brata Exhibition has officially closed with one of its highlights, the Urup-urup Market. In the ‘Portrait of the Past’ room, we see traces of ‘Urup-urup’—a time when transactions were not about seeking profit, but about sustaining the lives of one another. Barter is the oldest social technology, proving that village sovereignty is rooted in mutual trust, long before nominal figures dictated the value of our existence.
This time, we dive a little deeper into the childhood memories of our grandparents during the harvest season. A time when currency was not a piece of paper with a value or a cold metal coin, but rather the bonds of trust and the sweat exchanged at the Urup-urup Market.
The Urup-urup Market is a space for interaction where people exchange produce without the use of conventional currency. In the village of Sidorejo, specifically at the Karang crossroads, this market takes place during the harvest season. People exchange crops and produce from their home gardens. The diverse livelihoods and varied produce enrich the Urup-urup Market.
At Karang crossroads, Sidorejo, the value of agricultural produce is not dictated by the laws of the global market, but by the ethic of sufficiency. A bowl of rice exchanged for a hand of bananas is not merely a transaction of goods, but a pledge that no kitchen in Sidorejo shall cease to smoke. The Urup-urup Market stands as proof that true food security is not built upon piles of capital, but upon a network of mutual care amongst communities that complement one another.
Through the revival of the Urup-urup Market, we are not only seeking to revive traditions but also to reaffirm that tolerance, mutual cooperation and the depth of social interaction are the very essence of village life that must be preserved. These values are not merely a moral legacy, but also form the foundation of the community’s local food security; an ecosystem in which local resilience is not built on statistical figures, but on a sense of mutual trust that keeps every kitchen fire burning.