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Saman dance marks_1
  • Manage No, Sortation, Country, Writer ,Date, Copyright
    Manage No EE00000089
    Country Indonesia
    ICH Domain Oral traditions and representations Performing Arts Social practices, rituals, festive events Knowledge and practices about nature and the universe Traditional craft skills
    Address
    Gayo Lues District, Aceh Tenggara District, Tamiang Hulu (Aceh Tamiang District), Takengon (Central Aceh District), Lukup Serbejadi (East Aceh District), all in the Province of Aceh, the northernmost province of the Indonesian island of Sumatra and other provinces having Gayo communities. It is performed in villages, underneath manah (lumbung building for storing rice), underneath mersah (meunasah traditional dormitory for boys and young men), on the borders of ricefields, backs of buffaloes, the banks of rivers, on festive occasions such as marriages, national or religious holidays, welcoming of guests, or inter-village visits.
Description The Saman dance is cultural heritage of the Gayo people traceable to the 13th century, developed later by Syeh Saman incorporating religious messages. Saman is performed by boys and young men, always in odd numbers, sitting on their heels or kneeling in tight rows. The players wear black costumes embroidered with colourful Gayo motifs, symbolizing nature and noble values. The trainer or leader, called penangkat sits in the middle of the line and leads singing of verses containing messages about tradition, development, religion, advice, sarcasm, humor and even romance. Players clap their hands, slap their chests, thighs and the ground, click their fingers, sway and twist their bodies and heads forward and backward, left and right, synchronizing with the rhythm, sometimes slow, sometimes fast and energetic, in unison or with alternate dancers making opposite moves. Saman movements symbolize nature, the environment, and daily lives of Gayo people. Villages invite each other for Saman competitions to build friendly relationships. Saman is performed to celebrate national and religious holidays, and is a game among village children, who learn it informally. The frequency of Saman performances and transmission are decreasing, despite community and government efforts. Therefore safeguarding is urgently needed. A Saman performance consists of 7 parts, called: Rengum, Salam, Dering, Uluni Lagu, Lagu, Anak ni Lagu, and Lagu Penutup (closing song). According to other sources, there are 9 parts: Keketar (introduction), Rengum, Salam, Gerakan Tari, Anak ni Lagu, Saur, Syair, Guncang and Penutup, or only 4 parts.
Social and cultural significance The present social function of Saman is as entertainment, as part of celebrations of national or religious holidays or welcoming honoured guests. Saman is used as a media for conveying messages which are traditional, religious, informative, and about development, through the sung verses. Saman is a vehicle for developing friendly and fraternal relationships between village groups who invite each other for performances. Saman is a game among village children and youth. There are many Saman verses. New verses continue to be composed by Saman Penangkat trainers. the verses contain messages about traditions, religion, development, advice, subtle romance, satire, poetry, heroism, humour, philosopy, daily life, etc Saman give Gayo people a feeling of cultural identity, and a feeling that they were carrying on the cultural heritage of their ancestors. playing Saman develops feelings of mutual respect and cooperation among the players. Saman is in accord with sustainable development. Saman verses always contain positive messages, including verses which encourage conservation of the environment.
Transmission method Saman is transmitted to younger generations informally in villages, underneath the Mersah Fig.6, a dormitory where boys and young men used to live together while being instructed in customs, traditions and religion, including Saman. Now boys no longer stay at the Mersah, but at home with their parents. Mersah are empty or have changed function. Few of the 122 Mersah in the district teaches Saman School age children are busy with formal education which does not include Saman, religious recitations and doing homework. The role of Saman as entertainment is being replaced by TV and video. Parents are busy. Thus informal and formal transmission of Saman is weak. Aceh culture expert Asli Kesuma (72 yrs.), who has been observing Saman culture since 1972, noted that the frequency of Saman performances has been decreasing, especially since 2002. Saman is performed at celebrations of Indonesia’s Independence Day (17th August), and the religious holidays of Idul Fitri and Idul Adha, which means 3 times in a year, and to entertain honoured guests. Saman competitions still go on, but with decreasing frequency, hardly 1-3 times annually. Informal Saman as a children’s game is also becoming rarer. 1. Television Media. TV is a threat to the continuation of Saman culture. Parabolic TV antennas are seen installed on top of many houses both in towns and villages in Gayo Lues district. watching television is becoming the entertainment of choice for all age groups, replacing the traditional art of Saman. This clearly threatens the future of Saman, and its transmission to the younger generations. Saman trainers and players prefer to sit in their own homes and watch television or videos than play or train Saman. There is a local TV station in Blangkejeren (LTV), but it rarely broadcasts Saman. 2. Globalization and Modernization. Gayo Lues and Serbejadi (Lukup) were remote and isolated for centuries, and thus Saman did not undergo much change. Before restructuring of districts and acceleration of development, the orientation of most of the people of Gayo Lues was local. After that, especially after Gayo Lues became a District in 2002 and the development of the area was accelerated, interaction with other districts and with the outside world became more open. Thus the orientation of the people, especially the younger generations, began to shift, and the visibility of Saman culture began to decline, compared to previously. 3. Lack of Funds. Many respondents mentioned lack of funds as one of the threats to safeguarding of Saman culture. Saman costumes are not cheap. To make a set of hand-embroidered Saman costumes consisting of 18 sets of costumes—hat, two throat cloths, shirt, traditional sarong, trousers and wrist cloths—takes around 2 months. Similarly Saman performances, especially those on a big scale or which involve transportation to far off places, require funds. To invite another village as guests for a Saman competition over 2 days and 2 nights requires considerable expense by the party inviting and by the party invited. 4. Diminishing of Saman knowledge. From the interviews, although many respondents could perform Saman, yet only a few (5%) were able to name the nine parts of a Saman performance, 5% could name 7-9 parts, 27% could mention 4-6 parts, 32% 1.-3 parts, and 32% did not know any of the parts of a Saman performance, out of 79 respondents. These figures indicate that knowledge of Saman is diminishing. 5. Commercially oriented Saman performances have developed, according to 60% of respondents (46/77). These performances are not aimed at carrying on a tradition, and indicate a shift in meaning which could threaten safeguarding of Saman culture if not balanced with efforts to transmit Saman cultural values. 6. Teachers are Elderly. Respondents report that many of the teachers/trainers having genuine knowledge of Saman are elderly without any successors for passing on their knowledge.
Community The Saman community comprises: Saman players, Saman trainers (Penangkat), Saman enthusiasts, members of Saman groups, craftspersons who make traditional Saman costumes, prominent religious figures, leaders of traditional customs, arts teachers and government officials.
Type of UNESCO List List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding
Incribed year in UNESCO List 2011

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