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Datun Julud
  • Manage No, Sortation, Country, Writer ,Date, Copyright
    Manage No EE00001240
    Country Malaysia
    ICH Domain Performing Arts
    Address
    The state of Sarawak, Malaysia
Description Datun Julud means ‘long dance’ in the language of the Kenyah Dayak, ‘Hivan Joh’ for the Kayan tribe and ‘Arang Kadang’ for the Kelabit tribe. Traditionally, Datun Julud is performed by a group of women in the Orang Ulu customary receptions. This dance, that symbolizes happiness and gratefulness to the Great Angel, is said to have been created by the king of the Dayak Kenyah tribe in Apo Nayan called Nyik Selong who is brave in playing with weapon that it is difficult to compete him. However, he still doesn’t have an inheritor. In the end one of his daughters-in-law conceived and gave birth to a would-be inheritor. As a sign of gratitude all the longhouse residents were in festivities and danced with graceful movements. Datun Julud normally begins as a solo performance by a female dancer barefooted, and she dances spontaneously with movement akin to the movement of a flying hornbill. Bird’s feathers are inserted in between the fingers of both her hands. All the dancer’s body parts move except the head to avoid too many movements around the heavy copper earrings. With slow and graceful moves the dancer performs according to the beat and music of ‘Sapedan Jatung Utang’. Her dance steps concentrate on the feet movement that is as if ‘walking on ground’, while the hand movement is as if ‘floating or flying in air” If performed in a longhouse, the performance is normally encircling the living room of the village head and sometimes in the whole longhouse, followed by the people who are there then. After performing another female dancer takes her place and this continues until all the females have taken their turns. Nowadays, Datun Julud is a part of the dances usually performed at a longhouse and in celebration events to receive visitors and tourists.
Keyword
Information source
The Malaysia Arts Cultural Practitioners Association (MACPA)

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