Jember is our beloved country, where we spend most of our time in this city. It also records all our memories with families, relatives, and friends. So, if we have to choose one city in Indonesia, of course we will choose Jember, right?
Herewith, the Author would like to tell you short histories about Jember. Are you curious? So, check it out.
Jember is one of the cities in the East Java Province which territory is on the east-south side of the Java Island. It is also located on the slopes of the Yang Mountains and Argopuro Mountains. The southern part of its territory stretches to directly the Indian Ocean. Jember consists of 31 sub-districts, 22 districts and 226 villages.
However, regarding the origin of Jember, there are several versions that developed in the community. The first version is about a legend of a Putri Jembersari. While the second version relates to the journey’s story of the King Hayam Wuruk from Majapahit.
For the first version, it is said that there was a fishermen village that’s led by a leader. The leader of the village had a daughter named Putri Jembersari. One day, the village was attacked by a group of people, so the battle could not be avoided. Along the battle, the women and the children were asked to evacuate, so was Jembersari. All the evacuee lived in a certain area. The new village was led by Jembersari. But then, since the leadership, Jembersari changed her name became Endang Ratnawati. Until one day, when Endang Ratnawati was taking a bath with several of her guards, came a group of robbers. They wanted to disturb them. Not long after that, a battle happened. All the villagers heard it. They directly came to the source of the noise. Arriving near the lake, they found that Endang Ratnawati and her guards were already dead. Then, they were buried by the villagers. Endang Ratnawati’s funeral was preceded by reading the story of her life and her services. It was then that the people remembered that Endang Ratnawati’s first name was Putri Jembersari. To commemorate the service of the leader, then the villagers named the city “Jember”.
While the second version of the Jember’s history relates to the journey of King Hayam Wuruk. One day, Hayam Wuruk, the greatest King of Majapahit did a journey to Situbondo, Bondowoso until Puger. When arriving at Puger, Hayam Wuruk’s cart could not pass because the road was muddy. Then the King and his guards said the word in Javanese “jembrek” which means muddy. Since then, Puger has been known as Jember. And today, Puger is one of the sub-district in Jember.
If you do not know history, then you do not know anything. You are a leaf that does not know it is part of a tree
– Michael Crichton.
Author: Lana Nofelia Halimatul Ulmi, S.Pd.
