‘Bulu Londong’, the Victory Dance of the Mamasa People

KOMPAS/VIDELIS JEMALI

Dancers perform a bulu londong dance in Balla Satanatean village, Balla district, Mamasa regency, West Sulawesi, on Thursday (22/3/2018). The bulu londong is a traditional dance that expresses victory over an enemy.

The sound of drums followed by the shouts and foot movements of the dancers broke the silence in the village that evening. Four men moved in circles, waving machetes and spears. They expressed their delight after defeating their enemies on the battlefield through the Bulu Londong dance.

"Ma\'a kakoale (How are you)," the drummer, Samuel Demburana, 53, shouted in the local language. "Male pung kan (We made it)," answered Demma Lele, 43, the leader of the dancing group. The shouts of victory became louder. The movement of the feet became faster.

From the circle, Demma approached the audience while showing the symbol of victory in his left hand. Some of the dancers waved their swords in their right hands in the air. Other dancers continued stomping their feet on the ground.

These movements were part of the performance of the Bulu Londong dance, a traditional dance of Mamasa regency, West Sulawesi, which was staged in Balla Satanatean village, Balla district recently.

The dance was performed as part of a series of activities held by the PEKKA women’s organization on March 21-22.The dancers were members of the Balla Satanatean village tourism awareness group. The Balla Satanatean village is located about 30 kilometers from the city of Mamasa, the capital of Mamasa regency. More than half the road from Mamasa to the mountainous village is still earth and some parts are at risk of erosion.

The local people mostly walk to get around. They rely on rice fields in the valleys and plantations on the foothills of the mountain.

Bulu means decoration or ornament in the Mamasa language. While londong means brave man. Literally, Bulu Londong means a dance performed by brave men or winners who wear ornate costumes. The dance lasts 10-15 minutes.

The dancers that day wore a lope-lope (knitted hat) as a head protector. To beautify it, the hat was decorated with chicken feathers at the center. Around their neck, the dancers wore a necklace decorated with the tusks of tora (animals). The neck is usually an easy target for the enemy, so it needs to be protected.

The dancers wore a warrior-like uniform, consisting of knitted wood plates painted black. Other accessories included machetes, spears and shields. In general, the dancers moved in a circle, and performed battle actions with machetes and spears. The movements were also accompanied by shouting.

Near the end of the performance, the dancers chanted poems in the Mamasa language, expressing the joy of victory against the enemy. While the verse was sung, the sounds of drums ended. The dancers presented the poem in a crouched position while demonstrating the battle.

Samuel said Bulu Londong was a victory dance, performed after defeating enemies on the battlefield. Having succeeded in defeating the enemy, the soldiers celebrated with dancing in their villages.

Outside the context of war, the dance, performed by four to eight dancers, is also performed as thanksgiving for the recovery of residents from serious illness. "The dance expresses the victory of the villagers in their fights against diseases," Samuel said.

KOMPAS/VIDELIS JEMALI

Dancers present a bulu londong dance in Balla Satanatean village, Balla district, Mamasa regency, West Sulawesi, on Thursday (22/3/2018). The bulu londong is a traditional dance that expresses victory over the enemy.

Regeneration

Like other traditional dances, Bulu Londong also risks dying out. According to Samuel, not many young people are interested in learning the dance.

He has tried to invite and train young people to be part of the dance group, but only a few stay. Samuel is the oldest member of the Balla Satanatean village Tourism Awareness Group. The other members are between 40 and 50 years old. They became dancers following in the footsteps of their parents.

Another problem is making the dance ornaments, such as hats, necklaces and clothes. "The clothes we wear are inherited from our parents. No young people now are interested in making the clothes and ornaments for the Bulu Londong dance,” said Samuel.

Although it is under threat of extinction, the Bulu Londong dance can still survive. In the village of Balla Satanatean, the dance is often performed during the village’s celebration ceremonies, such as the thanksgiving ceremony after the rice harvest.

One of their proudest moments, said Demma, was when the dancers performed in the Netherlands in 2015 to promote Indonesian tourism. "For us, it was a blessing, because we could continue to dance and preserve our cultural heritage, "he said.

Risal Tangdira\'ba, a young leader of the Mamasa people, said he rarely saw Bulu Londong performances during ceremonies held by the government in Mamasa. Government ceremonies could, however, be used as a vehicle to preserve cultural heritage, including the Bulu Londong dance. "In the long term, schools should be encouraged to establish dancing groups to help preserve the cultural heritage,” Risal said.

Samuel, Demma and other members of his dance group continue to fight for the preservation of the Bulu Londong dance, while at the same time spreading the dance’s spirit to be a winner in life.