ABSTRACT
Bandung is a relatively young city, founded in the first decade of the nineteenth century. The deep roots are reflected in the proverb, “kudu kawas awi jeung gawirna,” which invites Sundanese people to observe how bamboo thrives by insinuating its root systems into the cliffs on which it grows, and how those root systems in turn help maintain the cliffs’ stability in the face of erosion. The exhortation to “be like bamboo on its cliff” promises stability and success for current Bandung residents in return for maintaining the traditions and local wisdom of their Sundanese forebears, even in thoroughly modern Bandung. Following the fall of President Soeharto’s New Order government in 1998, many Bandung residents sought ways to reinvigorate Bandung’s Sundanese essence along the lines of the proverb. Over the centuries, the Sundanese karinding has proven to be a versatile instrument.
