Desa Gintangan Kecamatan Blimbingsari
Kabupaten Banyuwangi, Jawa Timur, cukup lama dikenal sebagai sentra
pembuatan kerajinan .
Gintangan berasal dari kata "Gontangan" yaitu alat untuk
membawa air dari bambu.
Gontangan dibuat oleh Patih Suluh
Agung seorang prajurit pelarian dari
Perang
Puputan Bayu pada jaman kerajaan Blambangan yang menjadi cikal bakal
Kabupaten Banyuwangi.
Patih Sulung Agung kemudian meminta dua prajurit yang masih sehat untuk
mencari air dan mereka menemukan "Banyu Panguripan" atau air kehidupan,
yang kemudian mereka masukkan ke dalam gontangan.
Syahdan, air yang dimasukkan ke dalam gontangan tersebut saat diminum
ternyata bisa menyembuhkan prajurit-prajurit yang terluka.
"Tempat beristirahat prajurit tersebut akhirnya disebut gontangan yang
kemudian dikenal dengan Gintangan ya di wilayah desa sini. Itu cerita tutur
yang ceritakan secara turun temurun oleh para sesepuh," ucap Rusdianah.
Ia mengatakan, awalnya kerajinan bambu yang dibuat adalah alat-alat rumah
tangga seperti bakul atau kukusan untuk menanak nasi. Namun baru pada
tahun 1980-an berkembang ke kerajinan yang lebih modern dan bervariatif
seperti kap lampu, tempat tisu, tudung saji, hantaran hingga songkok.
Perkembangan kerajinan tersebut tidak lepas dari tangan kreatif warga
bernama Madrawuh. lelaki itu yang mengawali kerajinan modern di Desa
Gintangan. Madrawuh sendiri sudah meninggal tahun 1999 pada usia 70
tahun.
Gintangan Village, Blimbingsari District, Banyuwangi Regency, East Java, has long been known as a center
craft making. Gintangan comes from the word "Gontangan", which is a tool for carrying water from bamboo. Gontangan was made by Patih Suluh Agung, a fugitive soldier from the Puputan Bayu War during the Blambangan Kingdom era which became the forerunner of Banyuwangi Regency.
Patih Sulung Agung then asked two healthy soldiers to look for water and they found "Banyu Panguripan" or living water, which they then put in the gontangan. Syahdan, the water that was put into the gontangan turned out to be able to heal the wounded soldiers when they drunk it.
"The soldier's resting place was finally called Gontangan, which became known as Gintangan in this village area. That's a story told from generation to generation by the elders," said Rusdianah.
He said that initially the bamboo handicrafts made were household utensils such as bakul or kukusan for cooking rice. However, it was only in the 1980s that developed into a more modern and varied craft, such as lampshades, tissue holders, serving hoods, conveyors and songkok.
The development of this craft cannot be separated from the creative hands of a resident named Madrawuh. the man who started modern crafts in the village of Gintangan. Madrawuh himself died in 1999 at the age of 70.