Culture

Culture in Indonesia

As a country that has more than 17,000 islands and 731 ethnic, Indonesia has a very rich culture. Almost every region has a dance, music, traditional ceremonies, food, clothing and language of their own country. We're introduced to you some of them.

Gamelan

The word "gamelan" is used in Indonesia to explain the types of music in Indonesia and used musical instruments. The word is derived from the Javanese language "gamel" which means to hit or use.

Gamelan group consists of 4 musical instruments:

1. Musical instruments played nucleus (balungan). Included in this category is metallophone (metal bar placed in a row and sounds like a bell), which has 3 different sizes and has a height interval of 1 octave, and Slenthem, which has discs that jingle. Resonator for musical instruments are made from bamboo or aluminum and sounds 1 octave lower.

2. Instrument that describe a particular segment of a song and determine the structure of the song. Large hanging gong (Gong ageng) mark the beginning and end of a song and the segments are longer. Kenong, gongs have resonator made of wood, played a sub-segment is shorter.

3. Musical instruments decorating the core melody. Among these are: Bonang (gong with 2 sizes), Gender (metallophone with 2 sizes), xylophone, flute, fiddle and sitar. Solo (pesidhen) and group chorister (Gerong) are also included in this category.

4. Percussion players who led the group in an acoustic way, where he gave signs previously agreed to end the song and its parts and to change the tempo.

In a complete gamelan can be up to 40 musicians taking part. Gamelan usually played at religious events or to accompany the puppets.

Source: Wikipedia.de


Puppet

Puppet comes from Javanese language and means "shadow". It can also be interpreted as "spirit". Puppet becomes a spectacle because of the cultural traditions of Indonesia has a very close relationship with the ancestors. According to animism, ancestor gods can act as a guard or human punishment. Therefore, humans attempt to please the gods or ask for their help with a ritual ceremonies. One way is to play the puppet.

Wayang is a variety (puppet show, shadow puppet, puppet people, ludruk, ketoprak, etc.) and played differently but have more or less the same rules. Puppet always played in the days associated with the mythology. Some of them described animismus festivals of indigenous and worship in local spirits. Others describe a dramatic episodes from the Ramayana or the Mahabharata story (ancient history of Hindu religion).

Plays a puppeteer who worked in the art of puppet plays a very regular basis, in which it allows to show the actual solo without interference. Each hero has a set of 3 with 3 keys of music played by the gamelan group. Standard episodes appear in the standard sequence. For example: "The listener who is open" to introduce conflict in the play, "the Palace in" describes the king met the queen (-queen) and his "Listeners outside" released soldiers to fight.

Dalang choose from a selection of about 150 songs, matching them with type episode, character, mood or behavior. Wayang puppets carved in order to resemble the character and status of play and in accordance with the predetermined pattern to the eyes, nose, way of looking, posture, body shape and costumes. Puppeteer can choose between 1 or the other dolls that play the same character, color or black gold, or a star or bermimik calm, to indicate the mood of the figures in certain episodes. Although the mastermind only work on the basic scenario, he can improvise each performance, adding contemporary jokes, and formed the performance to suit the occasion and the audience. Puppeteer and pemisuk aides and male singers to improvise in artistic conventions, although complex and unpredictable, but very popular.

Source: Network Indonesia


Batik

Batik originates from the Javanese language "amba", meaning to write and "tick" which means the point. The technique is estimated to have lived more than a thousand years. Although there was no definite information where batik was first invented, many observers believe that batik was brought to america by tourists from the island of India.

Batik, usually practiced exclusively in Java, requires anti-wax process is comprehensive, where every part of the material should not be wrapped in wax color on both sides before the material is dipped in dye. By using a wax-like pen called a canting, a model which can be complicated and difficult to make. Batik process takes a long time and batik are made entirely by hand requires several weeks to complete. Many modern batik is made by using copper for melapiskan seal wax, which becomes very rapid process and reduce costs.

Indonesia is a country filled with a variety of differences and showed a lot of Indonesian batik patterns. Some still carry the traditional model that influenced mystical motifs, other models illustrate the plants, animals and humans, and several other models have a very difficult style. Traditional batik model (usually using the colors of the earth and very complex) has been booked exclusively by Javanese court family. Modern batik models usually have a lighter color than the model of traditional batik.

Source: Network Indonesia, Wikipedia.de