Papua is the second-largest island in the world. Located in the easternmost part of Indonesia, Papua has a rich cultural heritage, and some of those valuable heritages are represented in the form of the dance. In any Papua region, including West Papua, the dance is not just a hand and foot movement. More than that, the Papuan dance represents the culture of each tribe, their way of life, and how they connect with nature.
Many traditional Papuan dances originate from ritual movements and religious ceremonies. One of the Papuan dances that have deep and symbolic meaning is Wutukala Dance. Let’s get to know more about this unique and philosophical dance.
How They Connect to the Sea
Not too far away from the sea, people are wearing spear-shaped weapons as if they were preparing themselves to go on a hunt in the ocean. Their clothes are crowned with bird of paradise feathers, and their bodies are full of white and black ethnic paintings. At the same time, they wear dangling sago leaves at the bottom.
This is how they performed Wukutala, a dance from Sorong, West Papua. Wutukala dance is traditionally performed in groups or pairs between men and women since this dance tells of a traditional tribal activity that requires both women and men’s cooperation. Both women and men wear similar clothes: skirts made of sago leaves and headdresses made of birds of paradise.
At the beginning of the dance, the men form a formation as if they are ready to hunt for fish. Then, the women enter while carrying a bag named noken, a craft specially made in Papua. The bag will be used as a container for hunting fish.
A Representation of Livelihood
This dance resembles what the Moy tribe does for a living. It is well known that the Moy tribe lives in the coastal area of Sorong, which have a main livelihood as fishermen.
This dance has a deep meaning and is a copy of the Moy tribe’s regular life. They face various challenges while hunting fish in the sea with their spears. They should cooperate and make connections to nature; it is their effort to survive.
While facing the threat of not getting food, they found a way to catch fish more accessible using tuba roots. The Moy believes that the pounded tuba root contains a mild ”poison” that makes fish dizzy and easy to catch.
Then, the women started catching the dizzy fish and popped up on the surface of the water. The fish harvest took place, and the women distributed the results to the entire Moy tribe community.
The tifa musical instrument and other instruments, such as ukulele or guitar, will accompany the people to perform Wutukala dance. The combination of this dance and the sound of the musical instrument makes the show more fascinating.
In addition to accompaniment music, Wutukala is also accompanied by folk songs describing the joy and gratitude of the community. The rhythm of the accompaniment music played is certainly adjusted to the songs.
Wutukala is an important tradition, a part of the life of the Moy Tribe. This dance is a memorial to the innovations they found in the everyday livelihood of the Moy people.
The meaning of this dance is gratitude for the blessings that God has given to the Moy tribe. This also shows an open attitude that the Moy tribe has to the various life changes that occur.
Usually, this dance is performed by a traditional elder and followed by several youths who illustrate the spirit of the Moy tribe in facing various life challenges.
In the present time, this dance is still being preserved and developed by the Papuan people. You can find the people performing this dance in a ceremony or the art performances. Moreover, you can sense the magic, although not all people perform this dance near the sea.
The Extinction of Papuan Dances
Modernity changes many things, one of which is Papuan culture. The easy access to Papua and the mixing of cultures have changed the lives of the Papuan people. There are so many Papuan languages that are in danger of extinction. The question is, does the same apply to dance?
So far, there has been no research on whether the Papuan dance is threatened with extinction. However, we must preserve Papuan culture because all cultural products can become extinct over time, like a noken bag.
Noken bags are worn by women when practicing the Wutukala dance. However, a researcher from the Archaeological Center of Jayapura, Papua, Hari Suroto, said that the noken (traditional bag) from Biak Regency, made from woven pandanus leaves and bark, is threatened with extinction. Based on his interview with Tempo, Biak Noken Craftsmen, who usually use pandan leaves, now replace the material with nylon or other practical materials.
The world changes and the culture also changes. However, the community and the government must jointly strive to perpetuate and preserve the culture that forms the community’s identity, including the Wutukala dance of West Papua. Without these cultures, of course, over time, we can lose the identity of the community.
