The West Papua dance has its own uniqueness and characters, from the movies to the costumes that the dancers wear. Traditional West Papua dances have very unique movements that look like hunting. Moreover, West Papuan dance costumes mostly involve tassels. West Papuan dances also have deep meanings and expressions. It is always fun and exciting to watch the traditional dances of this province.
If you are interested to learn and explore West Papua culture, do not miss watching and learning their traditional dances. Below are the traditional West Papuan dances you must know.
Suanggi Dance
It is said that Suanggi Dance is a West Papuan traditional dance that contains sacred and magical nuances since the movement looks like a ritual. The background story of this dance is a husband who was left behind by his wife because of death. It is said that Suanggi means demon that had an unredeemed promise when it lived. Then, it becomes a demon when it died. The demon will enter the soul of alive women and harm others.
So, the purpose of the Suanggi dance is to get rid of the demon. The dancers of Suanggi Dance are men who wear West Papuan traditional clothes. This traditional dance is usually performed at a funeral. It is not performed in cultural festivals or public events.
Yospan Dance
The next West Papua dance is called Yospan Dance. The movement of this dance is very energetic because its background story is about the friendship among teenagers. Yospan Dance is the same as Sajojo Dance. Yospan Dance is mostly performed in big events, such as cultural festivals, welcoming ceremonies, and traditional ceremonies. This West Papuan dance is the combination of Yosim dance and Pancar dance.
Therefore, it is named Yospan dance, which is the abbreviation of Yosim and Pancar. Unlike Suanggi dance whose dancers are only men, the dancers of Yospan Dance are both women and men.
Wutukala Dance
Wutukala Dance comes from the Moy tribe in West Papua. The movement of this traditional dance comes from the Moy tribe’s habit when fishing because they live on the coast of Sorong. Wutukala Dance is performed in a group or pair, both men and women. Similar to Yospan Dance, the movement of Wutukala Dance is so energic and attractive. The meaning of this West Papuan dance is an expression of gratitude from the Moy tribe for God’s blessings given to them.
In this dance, men play a role as a fisherman carrying a spear and women carrying a noken as a tool to accommodate the caught fish.
Awaijale Rilejale Dance
Awaijale Rilejale dance comes from the Sentani tribe in West Papua. This dance depicts the natural beauty of the Sentani Lake at dusk, when the locals come home from work by boats. It is performed by a group of women and men. The costume of Awaijale Rijale dance is called Pea Malo. It is made from sago leaves, genemo trees fibers, and wood skins.
The dancers complete their dancing outfit with hamboni jewelry or beaded necklaces as accessories.
Welcome Dance
Welcome dance is the most popular West Papuan traditional dance. It is because this dance is always performed when welcoming guests of honour in Papua. Not only in formal events, but Welcome dance is also frequently performed in non-formal events. Both women and men can be a dancer of this traditional dance. Welcome dance is the pride of West Papuan people because the movement contains aesthetic values.
Welcome dance is a visualization of respect. If you are welcomed with this dance, it means you are accepted. You will feel energetic when watching this West Papua dance.