Masnunah guards oral verse

Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post/Bandarlampung

Amid an influx of modern art forms, Masnunah (72) is one of Lampung's few surviving traditional artists.

Despite her meager income and her limping walk, this old woman continues to recite dadi, Lampung's traditional oral verse, at traditional festivals and parties.

Her shrill, loud voice when chanting dadi always mesmerizes her audience. It is really amazing to observe how a 72-year-old woman recites this oral poetry, which requires above all else an excellent breathing technique as each verse must be recited in full without drawing breath.

"Extraordinary. She deserves to perform not only at the Gedung Kesenian Jakarta or Taman Ismail Marzuki, but also on the international stage," said poet Afrizal Malna moments after witnessing Masnunah's dadi recital during the opening ceremony of the Indonesian Short Stories Congress held at the Lampung Culture Park a year ago.

Other people can recite Lampung's traditional oral verse but Masnunah is the only one who is passing it, particularly dadi, down to the younger generation.

She is rightly called the doyen of Lampung's traditional oral verse as no one else of her age has devoted themselves with the same zeal to this area, while none of her students can compare to her in terms of the melodious rise and fall of her voice when chanting the poetry.

"I have been learning to chant dadi from her for over five years but even now I am nowhere near her level in terms of the rise and fall of the voice as I don't fully understand the meaning symbolism of the dadi verses," said Riagus Ria, 33, who is also a grandchild of Masnunah.

Dadi is poetry that is chanted. One verse usually consists of four lines with an "aa-aa" or "ab-ab" rhyming scheme.

Made up of symbol-laden lines, dadi verses normally dwell on such themes as adoration for a lover, a tragic episode in one's life, an expression of love for the motherland, advice and words of wisdom to be passed to the younger generation, and heroic stories about the fight against the Dutch and Japanese.

Dadi verses are usually chanted at the turn of the year, to mark a bumper harvest, at meetings between young men and women, and during many traditional types of festival in Lampung.

Usually, young people sit face to face with a white piece of cloth separating them. They take turns to chant the verses in an exchange of responses. Usually, their elders sit behind them and provide them with the right responses to ensure that the chanting proceeds smoothly.

Not everybody, however, can understand the meanings encapsulated within each verse as the poetry uses a refined version of the local Lampung dialect -- one that is full of symbols and metaphors.

"That's why not every native of Lampung can learn to recite this poetry," Riagus said.

Masnunah learned to recite the traditional poetry from her father, Dalon Muda Sebuway, at the age of seven. Siti Aminah, her mother, also helped her to become a skilled dadi performer.

Born in 1932 in Segala Mider Pubian village, Central Lampung, Masnunah said she felt called upon to continue performing the traditional oral poetry as she realized that this art form was becoming increasingly marginalized by the influx of modern art forms.

"In the past, traditional art was usually performed when there was a party in our village. Today, a solo organ or dangdut music concert is preferred," she noted.

Dadi, she said, is the most important literary form among the Pubian people. Pubian is the name of a traditional clan in Lam pung. As she is a Pubian, she feels called upon to preserve this traditional art. "I have always encouraged my people to stage dadi performances as the main form of entertainment during festivals among the Pubian people," she said.

In the belief prevailing in the Dalon Muda Sebuway clan, dadi verse is not regarded as simply a cultural manifestation but also as something sacred.

"Dadi is part of our very life and soul," Masnunah noted.

The verse created and chanted by Masnunah generally dwells on her struggles in life. She expresses everything that she feels, witnesses and goes through in her beautiful verses.

Masnunah said she had to devote a lot of time to learning how to chant the traditional poetry. "I create this poetry with my heart so I need a week's fasting before I can chant it," she said.

During a week of fasting, Masnunah usually trains her voice by submerging her face in the water while saying a prayer. Thanks to this, she says she is still able to produce the required high- pitched tone when chanting a full verse of dadi without drawing breath, despite her advanced years.

Masnunah married Abdul Hasan, of Tanjung Kemala, Central Lampung, in 1955, and right after the wedding she made up her mind to devote herself to teaching dadi and other Lampung oral literary forms, such as pisaan, kias and warahan.

Her grandchild, Riagus, who now manages all her performances, said the Lampung provincial administration paid only scant attention to this art form.

"Lampung's traditional arts are now on the brink of extinction due to a lack of government attention," Riagus added.

Riagus said that Masnunah and other guardians of Lampung traditional art forms had recently been enjoying more public exposure thanks to the Ragom Budaya Lampung (RBL), or Lampung Cultural Variety Shows, held once a month on Saturday evenings in the auditorium of the Bandarlampung station of Radio Republic Indonesia.

"Don't ask whether the Lampung provincial administration has ever shown appreciation for Ibu Masnunah," Riagus said.

Riagus also said that Tim Smith, a researcher from the United States, earned his master's degree a few years ago for his research on dadi in Central Lampung. "Tim is the only person that has documented this form of traditional oral poetry. Ironically, neither the central government nor the Lampung provincial administration have done anything to document or recorded this traditional art form," Riagus noted.

Masnunah said she had never been discouraged in her efforts to preserve traditional oral poetry, although on many occasions she received no payment for her performances. "I persist in my efforts to preserve dadi as it reflects the real meaning of life,' she explained.

It is true that her name has become more familiar today because of her frequent appearances at RBL events. Many natives of Lampung have asked her to perform at their parties. But this does not necessarily mean that she now earns money. It is often the case that she does not even receive a cent from the hosts.

"Once I had to walk all the way and then took a small bus home as the host did not give me any money. I had to fork out my own money," she said.

Despite the lack of the government attention and her meager income as a dadi performer, Masnunah is determined to keep promoting the art form.

"Dadi is my life, and so I will continue to perform it until my dying breath," said Masnunah, who always wears slippers and covers her mouth with a fan when reciting dadi.