It is already an open secret that the land of Papua has various traditional dances. Even sometimes, the dance is accompanied by traditional musical instruments. The most common one is probably tifa. However, aside from tifa, the land of Papua has other traditional musical instruments, such as butshake.
It is probably one of the traditional musical instruments of Papua that you can find in the easternmost region of Indonesia. To be precise, in Merauke Regency, Papua Province. So, how to make a butshake and how to play that? Then, at what kind of times do they use traditional musical instruments?
Here are all the things about traditional musical instruments that you need to know!
The Origin of Butshake
Basically, butshake comes from the Muyu Tribe. Muyu is probably one of the native tribes of Papua that live around Merauke Regency. It is the easternmost regency in Indonesia that borders Papua New Guinea. The Muyu Tribe themselves live around the Muyu River in the northeast of Merauke.
In fact, the Muyu Tribe is definitely one of the smartest tribes that live inland. According to anthropologists, the people of Muyu are the “primitive capitalist”. They are very frugal and hardworking. In addition, they also value education. They even refer to themselves as “the most real form of human”.
In addition to that, the Muyu Tribe also has many cultures and also traditions. This includes traditional musical instruments.
How to Make a Butshake
If you are curious about how to make a butshake, the story behind it is kind of interesting. This is because the traditional musical instrument is made of bamboo and walnuts. It is fascinating how these two materials can become functional musical instruments.
To make it, you just need to collect walnuts and tie them with rope. After that, you can tie the rope to the bamboo that has been shaped in such a way. Also, do not forget to leave a little space in the bamboo so you can hold the instrument properly. Then, you probably can ask help from a native to make it.
How to Play a Bushake
Basically, how to play a butshake is quite easy, you just need to shake it. The way to use it is not that much different from using maracas. Then, the sound produced comes from the collision between the bamboo and the walnuts. You can shake it according to the rhythm of the song that is being played.
Aside from that, the land of Papua also has other musical instruments that are played by shaking them. The name of the instrument is paar and keeps that originating from the Waris Tribe. The main ingredients to make it are pumpkin and cassowary bones.
The Purpose of Butshake
Then, you also must be curious about the purpose of the butshake. It is regarding when people play the instrument and on what kind of occasion they will play it. Usually, you can see people playing this instrument during traditional ceremonies as an accompaniment to traditional dances.
For example, during festivals or when welcoming important guests around Merauke. Sometimes, you will also see people using this instrument at weddings. The purpose is the same, that is to accompany the dancers when they are performing their own traditional dance.
However, apart from the Muyu Tribe, there are other tribe members who also use this musical instrument. Although not as popular as tifa, the existence of this musical instrument is very important for the people of Papua. This is an identity as well as a traditional characteristic for them.
No wonder more and more Papuans intend to introduce butshake to the world. Because this one traditional musical instrument also must be sustainable. One of them is the power of the younger generation to always preserve it.
