Bebek Tengil and the Will to Persevere
The shop manager once asked me, "Why are they called Bebek Tengil?" I was in a hurry and couldn't come up with a quick explanation. The title came from a jumble of spontaneous thoughts that I hadn't yet had the time to write down, so I simply said, "They are about freedom, joy, and resilience," leaving the manager looking rather confused. Before he could ask any more questions, I said goodbye, smiled, and told him that I would share the whole story the next time I dropped by.
The story behind these ducks began when I stayed in an artist-run compound of huts. The atmosphere was like a traditional Javanese kampung: modest timber and bamboo huts, an organic garden, duck and chicken coops, and a tiny pond that was really more of a large puddle for the ducks to play in. It was such a playful place to live.
One day, there was a young duck quacking all by itself. I asked a friend, "Why is it quacking?" He replied, "It misses its friends. Ducks live in groups." He then looked at the duck and said, "Go find your friends." And the duck responded even louder "Quack! Quack!" Apparently, it had been left behind. Well perhaps it was the obedient one, because it stayed within the property while its friends had wandered beyond the boundaries, leaving the caretaker in agony as he had to go out, find them, and herd them back to their enclave.
I enjoyed watching these ducks play together, jumping into the pond and climbing out again. They reminded me of Balinese kids in their sarongs, strolling along the streets or beach pathways carrying their gong and wooden puppet, "Dong... Dong...Klak..Klak...Klak..".
It was delightful to watch. It was not a performance; they were simply going from one place to another, and I happened to be lucky enough to witness these little "shows" unfolding before my eyes. It was not something I would have encountered in Jakarta, but in Bali it is almost an everyday occurrence.
But that is not the main reason why I called these ceramic vessels bebek, or duck.
The playfulness I saw in both the ducks and the Balinese children inspired the last word, tengil—a term that means naughty, boisterous yet ultimately fun. It was by coincidence, that these figurative vessels resemble children carrying ducks above their heads, which reminded me of a documentary I once watched about ducks.
Apparently, in the wild, some ducks lay their eggs on high ground, such as cliffs or in trees. Once the eggs hatch, the ducklings instinctively begin finding their own food rather than being fed by their mothers. Later, when it is time to reach the river below, they must leap from those great heights. Their survival depends on their resilience. Sometimes they endure epic falls, tumbling from one rock to another. Some do not survive, but those who do carry on, happily quacking along the way.
And I guess that is what Bebek Tengil is all about, with its mischievous smile somewhere between laughing and crying, yet still surprised like a child fresh from an adventure.
It is about living your best life.