Many cultures greet guests with dances. West Papua is one of them. Aimaro Hena Taje is the traditional greeting dance of Kayu Batu people of Port Numbay, Jayapura.
As a traditional dance, Aimaro Hena Taje is considered a non-object cultural heritage of Indonesia. It received the title cultural heritage back in 2018, along with seven non-object heritages and over two hundred object heritages of West Papua.
A Greeting Dance of West Papua
According to the people’s story, the traditional dance was a form of appreciation and respect for guests. It is a traditional dance they had been dancing to for generations. To perform Aimaro Hena Taje, dancers also need an accompanying song. The song is sung vocally, but unfortunately not many are able to sing it.
The dance movements also have meanings and symbolisms of their own. For example, the footsteps symbolize that the Kayu Batu people believe what they do will bring goodness to others, while the hand movements symbolize the importance of helping each other.
The female dancers dance in pairs to symbolize the meaning of the dance; having the same heart and goals. Meanwhile, the male dancers symbolize power. Overall, the dance itself symbolizes the togetherness and happiness that the Kayu Batu people experience while they lead their day-to-day life.
Costumes and Accessories for Aimaro Hena Taje
The dance is performed by both male and female dancers. Naturally, they wear different costumes and accessories.
In general, the male dancers’ costumes are meant to portray masculinity and authority, while the female dancers’ costumes portray femininity and beauty.
A spectator can see it clearly in the way the dancers wear their makeup, as the face paint on male dancers’ faces portrays sure and firm lines reminiscent of war paint. Meanwhile, female dancers’ face paint is gentler, with strokes and dots meant to accentuate the dancers’ natural beauty. Compared to the face paint on the male dancers’ faces, the face paint on female dancers’ faces is almost invisible.
The costumes and makeup also bear symbols and motifs common in the culture. This includes lizards, jellyfish, snakes, and various plants.
Music to Accompany Aimaro Hena Taje
In the dance, the accompanying music would use traditional musical instruments along with songs that are sung vocally.
One of the common musical instruments used in the dance is emburk, also known as triton. This is a musical instrument made from kulit bia, a type of large sea shell. A hole is drilled into the shell, and the player plays the instrument by blowing, just like a trumpet. This instrument is common in Papuan culture.
Another common musical instrument is nintiji, a type of tifa, a traditional drum commonly found in Eastern Indonesia. They are easily found in Maluku and West Papua. The type of tifa that dancers use in Aimaro Hena Taje is the small and medium sized ones, so they can dance easily while still carrying the instruments.
On the Verge of Extinction
Aside from the musical instruments, the dance also requires songs to sing in the performance. However, people who can sing the accompanying songs are dwindling.
The songs often referred to as ruhameka (loud), require a lot of power and technique to sing. It also needs a singer with strong lungs, as some notes are held for a long time. Not only that, but singers also need to master ten songs to sing while dancing.
As of now, many of the singers are old or have already died, while finding someone with the skills to sing the accompanying songs is hard, or there might be someone who has the skills but has not mastered the ten songs yet. However, Aimaro Hena Taje is a unique greeting dance of West Papua.
