Kafuk dance is one example of the abundance of traditional dances and other cultural traditions from West Papua. If you happen to be a member of a tourist group visiting the locales in this province, chances are the local citizens will greet you with this particular dance as a showcase of their cultural richness.
What is Kafuk Dance from West Papua?
In itself, the dance is a traditional Papuan dance that is usually performed by the local people of Tambrauw Regency to greet guests. As such, the dance can usually be seen whenever tourists visit this particular region.
Dozens of locals, who perform Kafuk dance, usually wear distinctive accessories and make-ups. This mannerism is commonplace in other Papuan dances as each dance can signify different meanings and occasions.
As for the Kafuk dance itself, the dance signifies a warm and cheerful welcome to the guests who just recently arrived in this part of West Papua.
How is the Dance Done?
Upon arriving in Tambrauw, West Papua, tourists can enjoy a performance of Kafuk dance from different communities that reside in Tambrauw.
The performers will march up in a large dance party while chanting welcoming remarks to their new guests when starting the dance. In this phase, the dancers chant “siau tayunu foo siau” which can be translated as ”welcome” according to the local language in Tambrauw.
As the dancers greet the guests with welcoming remarks, they make revolving movements in their local ethnic dressings while chanting words from their local language in a manner that can be likened to replying to each other.
Considering that the tourists have just arrived there to enjoy the local tourism spots, the local tribes in Tambrauw think that it is important for the tourists to be able to enjoy their visit in happiness thoroughly.
The dancers make energetic moves and clear voices to highlight their enthusiasm to the tourists. Moreover, the dancers will also pound their feet to the ground while bowing their heads at the same time while dancing.
Afterward, the female dancers will form two different lines while making gestures with their hands as if they are inviting the tourists to play with them. In these lines, the chieftain will position himself in the front while the children will take place in the back.
Suddenly, the dancers will disperse themselves to pull different tourists who will be positioned in the middle of their lines. Upon doing that, they will take the tourists to the middle of the village as the local musicians perform traditional music in an increasingly faster rhythm.
As they reach the village, the chieftain commands the dancers to make a circle where their hands hold each other. In this phase, the dancers invite the tourists to run sideways as the background music becomes louder and more cheerful.
After 10 minutes of the performance, both the tourists and the dancers have built a new sense of friendship after indulging in this traditional dance.
Meaning and importance of Kafuk dance
Similar to other traditional dances in West Papua, Kafuk dance withholds several meanings within their distinctive gimmicks.
According to the local tradition, the opening moves of the Kafuk dance signifies respect to the tourists. In the same vein, pounding one’s feet to the ground illustrates the local people’s intention to build intimacy with the tourists.
It turns out that this dance can also bring economic benefits to the local communities. Local tribes who run cabins for tourists can receive financial income from visitors by making Kafuk dance one of their main attractions while staying in Tambrauw.With a cheerful disposition and respectable intention, Kafuk dance presents itself as one of the most interesting cultural traditions from West Papua. By seeing and participating in Kafuk dance can indulge and spend their vacation fully during their visit to this particular part of Indonesia.
