Dec 03, 2007 -- /prbuzz/ --This article is not to find Reog Ponorogo's cultural origin because it's so obvious just to mention that by viewing, listening, recalling the history and comparing with local dancings, we can be sure that it is unquestionably one of an ancient Javanese inheritance. This is to counter some claims considering the dancing as a Malaysian culture. Please notice in bold letters Malayans are all around South East Asia. They are spread all over Malaysia, Brunai, some of them are minority in Singapore, and many of them inhabit Sumatra island in Indonesia and its surrounding isles. None of these Malayans dare to perform the fobidden claims but Malaysians. They call the dancing Barongan. The story of Barongan dancing is depicted from phenomenal prophetic story, supposed to be derived from prophet Sulaiman met a tiger story.
It seems that the source of the story is all the difference between Reog Ponorogo and Barongan. The good news is that the less differences are, the easier for us to trace reasonable cultural roots. The bad news is no other way for Indonesians to substitute their congenially warmth with suspiciousness and carefulness. Indonesians have learnt from from the recent past on what the Malaysians have done to Rasa Sayange song few months ago. In the name of justice, truth and honesty, there must not be another stolen culture. As nowadays anything can be sold, ethnic dancings, ethnic songs and many other ethnic performances become more like cultural commodities, thereto they must be protected by international law. Another preventive way is to invent all the cultural inheritance for further right reserved registration.
Now let's get closer to the dancings. The people of Ponorogo (East Java, Indonesia) palce their pride on Reog Ponorogo dancing. As an older than history, this dancing has been the part of their tradition for quite unremembered long centuries. Reog Ponorogo tells about the king of Kediri (ancient kingdom of East Java) who fought against Singo Barong – a king of tiger headed creature. The fight was won by King of Kediri that made him a master for Singo Barong. No surprise that Malaysians replaced the original epic with a more Islamic story, because it would make another new trademark. Besides, it would be more acceptable to the people oh Malaysia who are known to get a big influence of Islamic traditions.They must do so because the original version was more influenced by ancient Hinduism. It is correct that the Reog Ponorogo is actually a blending of ancient Javanese culture and ancient Hindu culture. The age of Hinduism came earlier than the age of Islamism in South East Asia, Reog Ponorogo must be the pioneer. Compared to Malaysian Barongan.
Infact, many kind of ethnical shows in Javanese traditions are often preliminated by spells which can not be found in some cultures like Malayan culture. Further more, we can see its influence by the dressing detail that ancient Hindu loved to put accessories from head to feet, more than ancient Malayans did, that was the reason why all the dancers in Reog Ponorogo have been appearing wearing plenty of ornamented accessories, on the head, over the shoulder, around the arms (Javanese people call them sengkelat bahu), around the hip, and around the feet. The geometrical ornaments were inspired by elents of nature such as flower, leaf, branch, sun, satr and etc. With the influence of Islamism, ancient Malayan cultures were not accostumed to put many ornaments in the way they dress. The ornaments has preferedly been put on the walls of their mosques. Islamism has a strict law that anybody sohuld not let parts of his body be shown. It did not work to Reog Ponorogo because this dancing is older than the Islamic law. Just for an information, a culture that grows under the influence of Hinduism and Buddhisms establishes a less strict rule in the way their people dress to let the men open chested even when dancing. Then, how dare Malaysians claimed this influenced by ancient Hinduism dancing as theirs, just by changing the story and name?
http://www.pr-usa.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=58035&Itemid=95
No comments:
Post a Comment