The Good Values of Indonesian Dances (A view of Indonesia Traditional Dances)

Richard Ferdinand
081214140



A. Introduction
Indonesia, as a developed country, does not only grow because of history but also from its culture. Consisting of many islands from east to west and tribes who live in it, Indonesia has many various cultures. These cultures can be described in several applications. They are songs, ritual activities, ritual ceremonies or dances. They all bring many good values that can control people life. Not only control them, living these values make one tribe or society can life peacefully and harmony (cf. Gluckman, Ron., Blood, Sweat and Cheers, http// Pasola Ceremony Sumba – East Indonesia, mht, 27 February 21010)
This paper wants to pay attention to the several dances of Indonesia people that live in several areas which bring some good values. The purpose is to make people realizing that each dance, actually, brings many good values. Besides that, by showing some good values people aware that there is no reason to start the fight, war or battle in our Loved Indonesia Country. We have same ideas and values in our cultures so that we can keep peace live on us.


B. Content
1. Knowing Background Some Traditional Dances
From my six articles that I have submitted we can see clearly the background of those dances. Those traditional dances have different background. Knowing the background traditional dances is very important because we can know what the values which are delivered. We can see that, for examples in Broom Stick Dance and Battle Rice Cake.
Broom Stick Dance is performed to remember the efforts of Malukus to get their liberation. People of Maluku fight against colonialism thought and colonialism action. It is also called the war dance (cf. Roesda, Broom Dance History Stick Morella, www.google.com, ‘Broom Dance’, 13/02/2010) Meanwhile The Battle Rice Cake is performed to commemorate entering Islam and Hindu in Lombok. This is also called traditional and religious dance. From the delivered intentions, we know that this dance is performed by Muslims and Hindus. We can guess also the meaning that delivered by this dance, which is bring the tolerance and harmonization values. This dance is usually performed to arouse the spirit of work together between Muslims and Hindus. More than it, this dance also conveys human’s will to live side by side peacefully (cf. Nugraha, Panca., The Battle of Rice Cakes, The Jakarta Post, page 22).
There are several traditional dances too that deliver same values to us. They are Pasola Ceremony (in West Sumba), Sang Hyang Dance (in Bali) and The Kabasaran Dance (in North Sulawesi). All of these dances convey some good values that have to be supported by Indonesian people. So, there is no reason to leave behind all the values that are brought by our culture dances. We have to care all our traditional cultures.


2. Knowing The Purposes and Values
Giving purposes are same with giving many meanings and values for one traditional dance. It also means we want to make our life better than before. We bring and deliver these meanings to all people. We deliver that we want to live hand in hand with others by keeping our culture. The spectators can understand the values only by noticing the purposes of one dance. Many traditional dances are performed with one or two purposes. There are some purposes that brought by one dance, for instance independence, freedom or hopping guidance and protecting from God.
These purposes convey to us the will of people at that time. If one tribe in the bad situation, like suffers from disease or disaster, people need protection and guidance from god. So, to get their intention they (one tribe) do one or two ritual ceremonies to raise the god’s generosity to protect them from disease or disaster. They also do some ritual ceremonies to look after their plants, like rice or corn from harvest failed. It deals with one tribe life basic needs and its prosperity.
What I have mentioned above is related to the values of life that deserve to fight. The freedom, independence and protection are the purposes that usually showed by one traditional dance. Those purposes contain some worth values that control people life. Keeping harmonization, keeping togetherness and keeping the union are some values that also offered by one traditional dance. We have to preserve all of our traditional dances so that we still find all the Indonesian people live in their ancestor dreams (the values of traditional ceremonies). Our duty is to make these dreams become true.


3. What Government Should Do?
What government should do today to preserve and develop our traditional dances; it is a nice statement to answer. Protecting our culture is very important to do. It is not only to keep its values but also to keep our traditional dances still exist. In globalization era not only our markets are attacked by abroad product but our cultures are in danger too.
So, we as Indonesian people need to look after our culture from distinction (cf. Sahyang Dance – the dance of spirit., http//www.balivision. com/Article_Resources/Sanghyang, asp). But more than it, our government has to give its hand to guard our culture and its values. For Indonesian people, all these purposes and values that are offered by traditional dances are the way to live harmony. We know when we live in one area we do not only live with same person, religion or culture in purpose but also we live to keep them becoming true. We have to believe all traditional dances bring good values. What we have to do is to make it live.




C. Conclusion
All of our traditional dances are good. They contain our ancestors will. We have to look after it. They, our ancestors, have learned in their ages to make and to produce one well-society. All the dances that created by them delivering their will. So, it is our job, our duty and our task as their grandsons and granddaughters to live it for good.


References…

Nugraha Panca., The Battle of Rice Cakes, The Jakarta Post, Friday, January 22, 2010, page 22.
Roesda., Broom Dance History Stick Morella. Retrieved February 13, 2010, from www. google.com, “Broom Dance”.
Gluckman., Blood, Sweat and Cheers. Retrieved February 27, 2010, from http// spears fly and blood flows at Sumba Supertitious Pasola Festival.
Sahyang Dance – the dance of spirit. Retrieved March 02, 2010, from http//www.balivision. com/Article_Resources/Sanghyang,asp.
Wenas, Jessy /translation: Roderick C. Wahr., The Kabasaran Dance. Retrieved March 14, 2010, from http//www. The Minahasa – Social Structure – The Kabasaran Dance, mht, about Cakalele, Kumoyak and Lalay’an.
Ita Yulianto, Vissia., Is Celeberating Kartini’s Daya still Relevant Today?, The Jakarta Post, Wednesday, April 21, 2010, page 6.