The best part of a trip to Indonesia is meeting the local populations, knowing the customs and habits that a Westerner may find curious and bizarre, being carried away by the whirlwind of colors, music, dances of different ethnic groups.
After all, the purpose of each trip should be to return different from how you started: so leave your inhibitions at home and get ready to experience something unforgettable.
Banteng Debus
The province of Banteng is the most recent of the island of Java, having been established only in 2000, however it boasts a very ancient culture, which includes the spectacular Debus dance. This martial art combines skills that require great physical strength, to be exhibited between dances. The purpose of the Debus is to prove to be invulnerable: the jawaras, those who perform, sometimes cut their cheeks, tongue, abdomen or other parts of the body with nails or blades.
It is thought that this tradition dates back to the sixteenth century, when the sultan Maulana Hasanudin reigned. It then became a way of showing one's strength and resistance to Dutch colonialism. The name itself derives perhaps from the Arabic "dablus", an iron spear with a round handle, once probably used in the Debus.
Reong Tengger: Mount Bromo's mystic dance
Here we are at Monte Bromo, a majestic volcano that is the symbol of East Java, a tourist attraction and a natural monument that has always fascinated local populations. Near the Bromo mountain you will find the Tengger, a population that keeps alive ancestral traditions, including the art of the Reog. The Reog Tengger is a traditional Javanese dance that includes graceful choreography, extreme physical strength and elaborate and multicolored costumes. The protagonist of the Reog is a figure similar to a lion, called Singa Barong or Barongan. His scary mask weighs even up to 40 kg and is therefore very heavy to wear. The wearer holds it only with the force of the teeth.
A Reog show generally consists of three parts. The first part is an introductory dance, in which waroks dance, male dancers in black costumes, symbol of evil men. In the second part you can admire the Jaran Kepang dance, in which women dancers perform in colorful dresses. The third part, the most interesting, involves all the dancers of the Reog.
The Reog dance tells the story of Klono Sewandono, king of Ponorogo, who left for a trip to Kediri to ask Princess Songgo Langit in marriage. During the trip, he and his escort were attacked by the monster Singa Barong, a mythological lion with peacock feathers. From here, a violent battle began.
The performance that goes with it is accompanied by the music played by a traditional gamelan orchestra and sometimes modern musical instruments such as electric guitar and bass. Sometimes, the Barongan dances in a trance, induced by some special preparations and offers to the gods prepared by the shamans before the dance.
Kecak dance in Bali
The island of Bali is well known for its religiosity, spirituality and folklore. In addition to the famous Barong and Janger dances, it is also worthwhile to attend the Kecak dance, which is usually performed outdoors at sunset, better if a cliff overlooking the sea. The dance continues even when darkness falls, accompanied by bamboo torches.
About sixty naked men stand in a circle, wearing sarong and sitting around torches, placed in the middle. The Kecak is not accompanied by music but by male songs, which represent an army of monkeys, repeating the verse Cak or Kecak. The singing is guided by a solo voice. A truly hypnotic exhibition.
The performance features a version of the Ramayana epic saga: the dancers interpret Rama, Shinta and other characters. It tells the story of Prince Rama who wandered in the forest with his wife Shinta and Lakshmana. The giant Rahwana kidnapped Shinta and held her captive in his castle. Rama then sent his brother to call the king of the monkey kingdom, who in turn sent his commander, the white monkey, to resume Rama's wife.
The commander was captured by Rahwana's troops and trapped in a circle of fire that to be burnt alive. But the white monkey managed to free himself, burn the palace of Rahwana and engage in a battle with his warriors, supported by other monkeys. In the end the enemy was defeated and the forces of good triumphed.
The Balinese Kecak dance probably derives from an ancient ritual called Sanghyang, which served to ward off evil spirits. In 1930, a Balinese dancer, Wayan Limbak, in collaboration with the German painter Walter Spies developed a theatrical version of the Sanghyang that told stories of the Ramayana. Since then, the Kecak dance has spread and is staged in several famous places in Bali, including Pura Uluwatu, where you can admire it every day at sunset, or at Tanah Lot and other famous locations.
Subak: Bali's cultural landscape
One of the things that leaves the visitor breathless in Bali are the terraced rice paddies, which extend from the slopes of the hills and volcanoes down to the sea. Thanks to the abundance of water supplied by rivers and streams, Bali has developed an intelligent irrigation system for the cultivation of rice as early as 944, as attested by some inscriptions. The Bali irrigation system uses canals, which bring water to each field.
This landscape masterpiece was developed by Subak, cooperatives of local peasant inhabitants. Membership in a Subak is a very strong link, handed down from generation to generation. The head of Subak, Klian Subak, is nominated by the members. The various Subaks are linked to mountain temples, the pura masceti, in turn dependent on two lake temples, Pura Batu Kau, which regulates the irrigation of Bali west, and Pura Ulun Danu, on which irrigation of the north, east, and south of Bali depends.
Every 105 days, at the end of the cycle of rice growth, festivals are held in the temples. Subaks are different from tegalan, which are rice fields that are naturally wet by rain.
In Indonesia, rice is an essential food, present in every meal, but also in religious ceremonies. For this reason, the Subak is fundamental for Balinese culture, which also associates it with a spiritual and religious dimension. The Subak is the visible testimony of the Balinese people's creativity, but also of the ever-existing fusion between life and religion. For all these reasons, UNESCO has declared the Subak landscape and cultural heritage of Bali.
Barong dance: the endless battle between good and evil
The Barong dance is Bali's most famous dance and is deeply linked to the spiritual dimension of Balinese life. This dance, performed during ritual ceremonies, stages the battle between good and evil. Barong, in Balinese mythology, is a character that has the appearance of a lion, considered king of the virtuous spirits. The Rangda is instead the queen of demons, who leads an army of witches. The Barong dance is therefore a representation of the life of men, with the eternal struggle between good and bad spirits.
The Barong mask, which in some ways resembles the Chinese lion dance, is supported by two men.
The Barong dance is rooted in the period before the spread of Hinduism.
But there are regional variations of the Barong dance, in which the main mask changes its appearance. There is the Barong lion, the most widespread, then there is the Barong Buntut, usually played by one dancer, the Giant Barong, the Barong boar, the Barong tiger, the Barong snake and so on.
The Barong dance can be seen in different areas of Bali, but the most famous one is that of the villagers of Batu Bulan in Gianyar or Kesiman in Denpasar.
Sasak marriages in Lombok
The Sasak are the populations that predominantly live in Lombok, speaking a language similar to Balinese, they are of Muslim religion, unlike Balinese who are Hindus. The Sasaks present their own traditions, like all the different groups that inhabit the archipelago. In particular, an ancient tradition still in use is the "rapture of the bride": as you can guess, in the past, a man found a woman of his interest and kidnapped her to marry her. Today, tradition remains at least symbolically.
The bride and groom, who have been dating for a while, meet on a fixed day, in which the groom "kidnaps" the bride and takes her to his house, where the woman will remain three days, controlled by the family of the groom. During the kidnapping, the two must sleep in separate beds. After 24 hours from the abduction, the groom's relatives refer to those of the bride that the two young men are willing to marry. The family of the bride, even if contrary, is bound to accept, as rejecting is considered shameful.
The two families then discuss projects and financial issues of marriage. The official ceremony involves all the villagers, with festive processions up to the bride's house, with all the participants dressed in traditional Sasak clothes.
Penti rituals
In November, on the island of Flores, in the village of Wae Robo, the celebration of the Penti is held by the Manggarai community. Penti is a ritual of thanksgiving for good harvest, with auspicious prayers for the following year. The party then lasts a day and a whole night, involving many people from the nearby villages.
The celebration of the Penti, strictly connected to the cycles of agriculture, has been handed down for generations and marks the passage between the old year and the new year. The ceremony begins with rituals Barong Wae or Barong Oka, in which individuals bring offerings in the courtyard of the Rumah Gendang, the main palace of the village, accompanied by gongs and percussion, inviting the natural spirits to join the celebrations. The next phase involves the purification from sins, the visit to the stone altar and finally the concluding rites.
During the Penti villagers perform Caci, the martial art of the region inhabited by the Manggarai, with two men who fight with whips and shields. During the ceremony the so-called Sanda songs are sung, starting at night and continuing until the morning without interruption, to honor the spirit of the ancestors.
Pakarena dance in Makassar
Makassar, in South Sulawesi, boasts a rich and varied culture, in which Pakarena dance stands out, whose name derives from the word "game" in the local language. This dance, very widespread, with some geographical variations, can be Pakarena Royong when it is performed during the rituals, or Pakarena Bone Balla for any other occasion.
During this dance, Makassar's women show themselves in all their grace and beauty, but they also show their devotion to their husbands. The exhibition consists of 12 parts with a similar scheme. The performance begins and ends in a sitting position, and unfolds with clockwise movements representing human life. Movements up and down represent changes in luck. The dancers during the Pakarena always hold the traditional fan and cannot open their eyes too much or lift their feet too much.
The Pakarena Balla Bulo is danced only by dancers in even numbers (9.7 or 5). The dance is always accompanied by traditional percussion and staged with colorful and traditional clothes.
Although there are no certain sources, it is thought that this dance was a royal dance born in the time of the Hasanudin sultanate in the sixteenth century, perhaps inspired by the sultan's mother.
Janger dance
Another typical Bali dance: the Janger dance, born in the thirties, accompanied by traditional instruments. The Janger dance is performed by 10 couples, women are called jangers and men kecak.
It is thought that this dance, accompanied by songs, was invented by peasant women who sang together to entertain themselves during the heavy work shifts in the fields. The song has turned into time in a dance, a pretext to meet young men from nearby villages. It is a romantic dance, inspired by the Indonesian tales of Arjuna Wiwaha and Sunda Upasunda, represented with very scenic costumes.
During the dance, the dancers arrange themselves in a circle and move to the rhythm of the music played by the orchestra. The young men sit and perform complicated movements with their hands, derived from the martial art of the pencak silat. The girls kneel and sing the Janger songs, also performing movements with their arms.
The Janger dance is a bali-balihan dance, for entertainment purposes, and can be admired all over the island. Each village has its own variant, for example in Metra, the Janger dance is performed on hot coals, while in Tabanan it is performed with an actor pretending to be a soldier of the Dutch army who gives orders to the dancers.
Tana Toraja Tau Tau statues
The Toraja population, who lives in the mountains of South Sulawesi, lived in isolation for a long time, and was "rediscovered" only at the beginning of the twentieth century. Their traditions and ancient customs have also come to light, often centered on the theme of death. The Toraja perform very elaborate funeral ceremonies, constructing figurines that remember the deceased and are called Tau Tau.
Made from wood or bamboo, the Tau Tau statues are left alongside the deceased and were once made for members of the aristocracy. Today, they are considered guardians of the tomb, but also serve to protect those who remained alive, keeping the contact between living and dead.
The word "Tau" means human, the term repeated twice indicates "something that resembles a human". According to the Toraja beliefs, those who die pass into an afterlife called Poyo, the kingdom of the spirits, but only if the funeral has been performed correctly according to the social status of the deceased, others will be forced to wander forever among the world of the living and that of the dead. Tau Tau plays a fundamental role in this sense.
Those who belong to the lower classes will be protected by a simple bamboo Tau Tau, those who belong to the middle classes will have a Tau Tau in sandalwood or Randu wood, while those who belong to the upper classes or the royal family, will have a Tau Tau made of jackfruit wood with bones or buffalo horns in place of the eyes.
Even the creation of Tau Tau must follow precise rules, starting from how the wood is extracted from the tree. While carving wood, the craftsman must work close to the body of the deceased. The figurine is then dressed in traditional clothes, sarong for the man and a kebaya blouse for the woman, before the funeral. They are then decorated with ornaments, a wallet full of gold and silver, sumptuous hair accessories and a sacred knife. At the end of the funeral the Tau Tau must be left outside the cave where the deceased is buried in order to keep the link between the living and the dead effective. Although today Christianity is widespread among the Toraja, Tau Tau remains an iconic symbol of their culture.
