The land of Papua is indeed famous for its rich culture and traditions. It includes a very wide variety of traditional dances that exist there. For the people of Papua, every dance has its own meaning in it. For example, Musyoh Dance is a dance that has a sacred and also magical meaning.
Basically, Musyoh is one of the traditional dances of Papua that still exist now. You can find this dance in various regions in Papua. It is because almost every tribe has the same point of view regarding spirits. Therefore, this dance was created with the aim of expelling and calming the spirits down.
To make it clearer, here is the history of Musyoh Dance that you need to know!
The Origin
In fact, the origin of Musyoh Dance is from the Papuan’s beliefs about the condition of the spirits of people who died in accidents. They believe that those people did not die peacefully. The spirits who die like that are still wandering around, so the villagers need to calm them. Then, they can rest in peace.
The way that they choose to calm the spirits who died in accidents is by holding a traditional or tribal ritual. One of them is probably the dance of Musyoh. Some men will perform the dance so that the spirits of the dead can rest in peace. So, some people in Papua also know it as an exorcism dance.
The Purposes
As mentioned earlier, the purpose of Musyoh Dance is to soothe and calm the spirits of people who died in accidents. Therefore, it is kind of not surprising that many people consider this dance to be very sacred. Moreover, there is a magical element in it, so only men can perform this dance in the past.
However, as time goes by, the purpose of this dance shifted. As for now, the people of Papua are also performing this dance to welcome an important guest. The difference is when it comes to welcoming guests, the person who performs the dance of Musyoh are women instead of men.
So, one of the basic and most visible differences in the purpose of the dance of Musyoh is the dancers. If they are men, then the purpose is to appease the spirit. And if they are women, the purpose is to welcome an important guest.
Although, when it is to welcoming guests, there are male dancers who will join in the middle of the dance. This is because it is not too sacred, but it is a symbol of warmth and acceptance. Unlike the first purpose of the dance, which actually still performed sometimes up until today.
The Movement
Because it literally has two different purposes, the movement of Musyoh Dance is clearly different from one to another. It depends on the purpose, whether it is to appease the spirits or to welcome guests. Usually, the facial expressions and vibes of the dancers will also be different too.
If it is to make the spirits rest in peace, then the dance movements will be more rhythmic and dynamic. Sometimes, they will also do the typical shouting of Papuan people. Then, they will also sing a song while dancing with an arrow and shield. It is definitely a symbol of exorcisms in the dance of Musyoh.
However, if it is for the welcoming ceremony, then the girls will dance around the circle. Then, they will put necklaces on the guests. So, the movements are quite easy to make the guests dance with them in ease. They will dance together as a symbol of happiness, gratitude, and respect for the guests.
When performing the Musyoh Dance to welcome guests, you should not look gloomy. On the other hand, you need to display a happy and also cheerful face all the time during the welcoming ceremony.
