Post 124 / The Next Language
January 10, 2023
Cow Boys
Notice the National Shield of the Nation of Indonesia. You may be wondering what that has to do with cow boys and the languages of Indonesia but if you continue I will fill you in.
The shield of Indonesia is embedded with no less than five segments which represent the five values that Indonesia does not want to forget.
#1 is the gold star on black- That represents the Pancasila principle #1- “Belief in One Supreme God.”
#2 is the chain of gold on red- That represents nine round links representing women and eight square links representing men. They represent successive human generations and correspond to the second principle of Pancasila- “Just and Civilized Humanity.”
#3 is the Banyan Tree- That represents Pancasila principle three which is “The Unity of Indonesia.”
#4 is the head of the Javanese wild bull- That represents the fourth principle of Pancasila, “Democracy that is Guided by the Inner Wisdom in the Unanimity Arising Out of Deliberations Amongst Representatives.”
#5 is the Rice and Cotton seeds- There are seventeen seeds of rice and five cotton buds. These represent the fifth Pancasila principle- “Social Justice for the Entire People of Indonesia.”
I think that is a magnificent set of values that have driven this country since 1945 when they gained their independence. I credit Wikipedia for the image and the information. I have seen the Pancasila in several contexts so am sure it is not a fabrication of the internet.
We just returned from East Kalimantan (Borneo) where we were with other cow guys who are involved with the very Bali cattle that are enshrined in the National Shield. To get to the cattle we drove through the area where the new capital is going to be moved. The President said in the New Year’s celebrations that the next year’s celebration will be in the new location in Kalimantan.
Apparently the Bali cattle were chosen because they were considered social animals. They have been domesticated for thousands of years and were harnessed to work in the rice paddies. Evidently there was always a feral population that ranged from Northern Australia to Bangladesh. Most of those wild populations are falling to the brink of extinction and the wild Bali cattle are actually on the endangered species list. Of interest is the fact that the wild population has larger animals and are thus more commercially attractive than the domestic animals. From a breeding standpoint that makes them very attractive for cross breeding.
The government is wisely trying to enhance the cattle populations and the beef production nationwide. Statistics indicate that close to 50% of the beef consumed is imported. And it is expensive- more than double the price of chicken. The cows have apparently been very successful at convincing Indonesians that they should eat chicken rather than beef!
My own experience crossbreeding Galloway with wild Scottish Highlanders to produce the Arctic Galloways suggests that the domestic Bali cattle would benefit from their wild counterparts. Evidence from the closely related Yaks and their wild populations suggest the same. My studied opinion is that we should be working to incorporate the wild cattle into the domestic gene pool. Finding those cattle is going to involve getting into some of Indonesia’s remotest places.
I am reminded of our efforts to locate and domestic a herd of wild Royal Yaks that had escaped in the Pink Mountain area of the Alaska Highway. That was when we were seriously considering ranching with yaks that I had grown to appreciate during my time in Nepal. Unfortunately those critters were too far from our homestead in Alaska but later we did get involved in a couple of successful captures of the Scottish Highlanders on Bald Mountain. We learned that with patience and collaboration with neighbors those animals very soon became valuable inputs in the breeding program with the Scottish Galloways. Curiously those Galloways were remnants of a University of Alaska project to cross Galloway with Yaks.
So, what does God think of cows? The One Supreme Creator God created cows on the same day He created Adam. On day 6 of creation He first made cattle and differentiated them from beasts and creeping things. He then immediately made man and gave him dominion over all created life forms specifically naming “cattle”.
[Gen 1:24-26 KJV] 24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. 25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that [it was] good. 26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
I have always appreciated that the last word in the book of Jonah is “cattle”. God was as merciful about saving many cattle from judgment as He was more than 100,000 people and children.
[Jon 4:11 KJV] 11 And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and [also] much cattle?
To me it is entirely consistent that God’s redemptive process would include all of creation- human or not. How else would we find in the new earth the lion lying down with the lamb? If God cares for and keeps count of the sparrows as Jesus claims, how much more the cows. As God’s agents with dominion authority it is entirely consistent to be domesticating the wild Bali cows.
It is significant to me that over the world we find the wild cows sharing the habitat with the most remote and left behind and deprived people groups. I will gladly volunteer my help and goodwill to both.
Just days ago I was granted retiree status- “Wiseman Lanjut Usia” (Old wise guy). My application resume included experience with cattle breeding, production, processing and marketing. Also described was my education and experience in linguistics. What we had been told would be a lengthy process during which I would not have a passport turned out to be half the two months promised. I am thinking this is an endorsement of my interests. I am immediately allowed to have bank accounts, own property, hire employees, and volunteer anywhere I wish. I am looking forward to giving Indonesia all that God bestows to my use. When I opened a couple of bank accounts yesterday the visa was the center of attention. They had never seen one although they work with a lot of expatriates and know some that had tried and failed to get retirement status.
Jesus was notorious for seeking the lost. In fact it was disgusting to the political and religious leaders that He would be found in the company of the sick and the lost. Much of His teaching focused on finding lost things.
[Luk 19:5-10 KJV] 5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house. 6 And he made haste, and came down, and received him joyfully. 7 And when they saw [it], they all murmured, saying, That he was gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner. 8 And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore [him] fourfold. 9 And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
God Bless,
Larry DeVilbiss
Global Recordings Network USA
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