JP;URIP;ANPAc..r..Watublapi-traditionsPeople of Mother Earth, Father Sky strive to keep their
\ntraditions aliveJP\/19\/LEKEPeople of Mother Earth, Father Sky strive to keep their
\ntraditions aliveUrip HudionoThe Jakarta PostJakartaTwo concentric circles of dancers filled the stage. The inner
\ncircle of five male dancers revolved clockwise, while the outer
\ncircle of nine female dancers swishing horse-tail switches in the
\nair revolved in the opposite direction. The jingling rhythm from the straps of small bells that the
\ndancers wore on their ankles, as well as the clinking of two
\nsmall wooden rods played by one of the male dancers, kept the
\npace of the revolving circles steady, while an ensemble of gongs
\nand percussion instruments provided a musical background. This was the Leke Sora dance, one of the many dances of the
\nWatublapi community from the island of Flores, East Nusa
\nTenggara, which was recently performed in Jakarta by the Bliran
\nSina Arts Group. \"The Leke Sora is a dance of celebration that is usually
\nperformed after the building of a house or after a harvest. It is
\nalso a dance of gratitude to Ina Niang Tana Wawa (Mother Earth,
\nFather Sky),\" said Daniel David, the group leader.<\/p>\n
For the Krowe Sika ethnic group of Watublapi, Ina Niang Tana
\nWawa, or God, is but one of the four foundations that form the
\nbasis of their community. The other three are Ama Lero Wurang
\nReta (the forces of nature), Nitu Noang (the spirits of their
\nancestors) and Adat (tradition).<\/p>\n
\"Nature is our friend. We should love and respect it, as it
\nhas loved us and provided our daily needs. If we instead treat it
\nwrongly, or live in sin, it could easily unleash its mighty
\nforces against us, just like the spirits of our ancestors, who
\nare always watching over us,\" said Daniel. \"As for Adat, one of our strongest traditions is working
\ntogether. And being a community of mostly farmers, working
\ntogether in this case means cultivating our land together,\"
\nDaniel explained.<\/p>\n
This tradition can be seen in the Manunggo and Togo Pare
\ndances, which were also performed by the group.<\/p>\n
In the Manunggo dance, a group of male and female dancers
\ncarrying long wooden sticks imitate farmers working together to
\nopen new rice fields, while in the Togo Pare dance, dancers hold
\nhands in a circle and imitate farmers threshing rice with their
\nfeet after the harvest.<\/p>\n
The community's tradition of folklore can also be seen in the
\nTogo Pare dance, as explained by Daniel.<\/p>\n
During the dance, one of the female dancers will occasionally
\nimitate the high-pitched cry of a bird. This dancer, called the
\nIrikikik, is actually calling the spirits of the threshed rice,
\nso they do not depart and spoil the harvest.<\/p>\n
Legend has it that rice kernels have spirits that are the
\nincarnation of Ina Nalung Pare (Mother Rice). Ina Nalung Pare
\nherself came into being when one of the Watublapian ancestors was
\nsaid to have sacrificed his daughter to achieve a good harvest.
\nWhen his wife learned of this and went to the field to stop him,
\nit was already too late. All that she found was an empty field
\nblooming with rice shoots. But every time she called out her
\ndaughter's name, the plants seemed to reach out to her. She then
\nrealized that her daughter had been transformed into the rice
\nshoots.<\/p>\n
Another tradition honored by the Watublapi community is that
\nof manhood, which can be seen in the Awi Alu-Mage Mot-Tua Retalou
\ndance.<\/p>\n
In this dynamic dance, two warriors -- an archer and a
\nswordsman -- show off their skills to the beat of gongs and
\npercussion instruments. While the swordsman dodges pairs of
\nsnapping bamboo poles aimed at his head and feet, the archer
\nclimbs up a high bamboo pole and suspends himself on top of it
\nsupported only by his stomach.<\/p>\n
The dance is usually performed to welcome youths that have
\nsucceeded in passing a one-week manhood test of survival in the
\nforest. Youths of the Watublapi community are expected to be
\nprotectors of their villages against wild beasts and during
\ntribal wars.<\/p>\n
\"But of course there are no tribal wars anymore. Ever since we
\nembraced Catholicism, we try our best never to resort to such
\nviolence,\" said Daniel.<\/p>\n
The majority of the Watublapi community are Catholics, and
\nCatholicism has influenced much of the community's traditions.<\/p>\n
\"We have abandoned certain traditions that are not in
\naccordance with Catholicism. But there has never been a conflict
\neither, since Catholicism came to us peacefully and went along
\nwell with many of our native traditions.\"<\/p>\n
Other cultures have also influenced the Watublapi people, such
\nas the Chinese culture, as can be seen in their use of ivory and
\nceramic goods, and in the use of dragon-like figures in their
\nwoven cloths.<\/p>\n
But even for a people used to assimilating elements of other
\ncultures, the onslaught of the modern lifestyle of today worries
\nDaniel. He fears that interest in the traditional ways will wane
\nand that people will forget the old dances.<\/p>\n
\"And that would be such a pity because there are so many
\npositive things that we can actually learn from our own
\ntraditions. Positive things, which I'm sure can help make our
\nlives better,\" said Daniel.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/jpuripanpacrwatublapi-traditionspeople-of-mother-earth-father-sky-strive-to-keep-their-1447899208",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}