For many tribes in West Papua, dance isn’t just valued as a form of art but also as a sacred ritual that is integral to the culture.
That includes the Oksang dance, one of the traditional dances from the Ngalum Tribe that serves as a form of prayer to God. This dance uniquely represents Ngalum culture its people, and it serves more than just mere entertainment.
Ngalum, the People of The East
On Oksibil Valley, the southern part of Jayawijaya mountain, West Papua, Ngalum shares its area with two other tribes: Muron and Kupel.
“Ngalum” literally means east or people who live in the east. As the name suggests, the tribe covers the eastern part of Oksibil Valley, right on the border with Papua New Guinea. It is considered the biggest tribe compared to the neighboring tribes.
Akin to their fellow tribes in West Papua, the Ngalum tribe is considered a quite spiritual community. Their view on life is attuned to the balance of nature. The universe is the center of the belief, with God or Atangki as the utmost creator of it all. Hence, people of Ngalum highly respect their traditional customs and belief and including them as essential parts of every aspect of their lives. Activities such as building a house, getting married, even renovating a building require certain procedures and rituals that have been established in the tribe for as long as anyone can remember.
One of the spiritual performances that they still uphold and practice to this day is Oksang dance.
Oksang Dance: A Spiritual Devotion
Oksang derives from the word “Ok” which means river and “Sang” which means God. The Oksang dance itself is intended as a prayer to Atangki for the fertility of agricultural products, livestock, and the health of all of the people in the tribe. This dance is usually performed during the transition between a crisis and prosperity—for instance, the transition between drought and the rainy season.
The ceremony consists of sacred movements with mythical values in every move, accompanied by a song that tells the journey of the ancestors when they spread their belief to human civilizations.
This dance is not be confused with Bar dance as it is solely performed by males, unlike the latter.
The attributes worn include okbul or koteka, a penis sheath traditionally worn by West Papua males, nal kulep (cendrawasih feather), minimana (beads), and briminong (belt). Their bodies are decorated with red soil. When the men danced, the women and children would watch all around. This dance is held in a stilt house that is specially used for the performance.
Other Significance of The Dance
Aside from its main purpose, this dance also holds other significance for the young adults in the tribe. For the young men of the Ngalum tribe, this dance is seen as the beginning of their adulthood.
Not only that, the performance itself will be their time to show themselves to a potential romantic partner. When the women watch the entire performance, they will be able to choose the performer they like. As the performance ends, both the woman and the man can take their relationship to a more serious relationship that would lead to marriage. The act of the woman choosing the man is known as namal unor, which means chasing from behind.This dance holds cultural significance to Ngalum Tribe as it represents the uniqueness of the tribe. Unfortunately, this dance is a lesser-known performance compared to other traditional dances in West Papua. To share the cultural significance to the general public and preserve the dance, Oksang dance can now be watched by the general public. Once a year, people from outside of West Papua can visit a cultural festival in which this dance would be one of the many performances displayed.
