Kalimantan Dance
important,
we can suppose that dancing in Kalimantan at that time was religious
nod sacral in nature, and as the palaces of the kings were the centres
of all cultural -activities, dancing in Kalimantan at tile beginning
of tile Hindu-Indonesian period was also feudal.
important,
we can suppose that dancing in Kalimantan at that time was religious
nod sacral in nature, and as the palaces of the kings were the centres
of all cultural -activities, dancing in Kalimantan at tile beginning
of tile Hindu-Indonesian period was also feudal.
Before
the Indians entered Kalimantan, as the), had Java ' Ball and Sumatra,
Kalimantan had ' been inhabited by indigenous Dayak tribes. Many
among the Dayaks who did not wish foreign influence preferred to
remain in the forests or inland, far from the coasts. The Dayaks
who were willing to mix with the Indians consisted for the greater
part of merchants and it was this group whom influenced by the Indians.
The
Dayaks who led an isolated life in the of Kalimantan and were separated
from. any relationship with the Court still maintained their native
culture, which was democratic in nature. Gradually Hindu culture
entered there also, but not to a great extent. This fact was also
very important in the development of dancing in Kalimantan.
None
of the Kalimantan kingdoms, neither Hindu-Kalimantan nor Islamic
have left any products of dancing. The Kalimantan dances which are
still preserved are those of the, people of the Dayak tribes living
inland.
In
1956, when the author visited the palace of the pensioned king of
Kutei, he saw with his own eyes that the king and his family were
very fond of Javanese art, especially the wayang (leather puppet
or shadow play). In the palace-hall there was a complete set of
the Javanese gamelan slendro and pelog. The king also had a box
of wayangs which were still in good condition. In Banjarmasin the
author once saw a dance-performance of the love-dance of Damarwulan
and Anjasmara (compare with Langen Driya in Central. Java) held
on the front veranda of the governor's mansion.
Nowadays
the Kalimantan dances which are usually performed and most enjoyed
are the dances of a religious nature of the people of the Dayak
tribes.
In
this period of Modern Society, the Kalimantan dances which used
to be performed only for religious purpose can now also be enjoyed
as secular dances. The dances of the Dayak tribes which are religious
in nature but often performed in secular performance are war-dances
and dances of thanks to the Goddess of Rice. Almost every Dayak
tribe has such dances, differing only in name. Among war-dances
are the Mandau Dance, the Kenyah Dance, and the Belian Dadas Dance,
their form and content is the same or almost the same. Among dances
of thanks to the Goddess of Rice for a successful harvest are the
Gantar Dance, and the Giring-Giring Dance.
THE
MANDAU DANCE
The Mandau Dance is performed by men of four in pairs. Mandau is
the name of a kind of sword in Kalimantan of a unique form and a
beautifully decorated sheath. The costume is very simple, consisting
only of a loin-cloth and a piece of ribbon with feathers round the
head. Each dancer holds a long shield in his left hand and a mandau
in his right. The accompanying music is also very simple: only a
string instrument like a guitar. The dancing position is for greater
part a squatting one. First the dancers, turning round and round,
play with their mandaus or swords and their shields. When each faces
his partner, the war-dance starts. When a dancer is attac
THE
MANDAU DANCE
The Mandau Dance is performed by men of four in pairs. Mandau is
the name of a kind of sword in Kalimantan of a unique form and a
beautifully decorated sheath. The costume is very simple, consisting
only of a loin-cloth and a piece of ribbon with feathers round the
head. Each dancer holds a long shield in his left hand and a mandau
in his right. The accompanying music is also very simple: only a
string instrument like a guitar. The dancing position is for greater
part a squatting one. First the dancers, turning round and round,
play with their mandaus or swords and their shields. When each faces
his partner, the war-dance starts. When a dancer is attac
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