Land of hopes and dreams

Bawi Lamus: Bumi Pertiwi, tanah Dayak, a celebration of the history, culture and environment of the dayak people, attracted an appreciative audience when it was presented at teater besar taman ismail marzuki in October. liviani putri reports on a magical weekend of moving drama, dance and music

“Can you hear nature scream? / It feels like there’s no other sounds, only noise that I can hear. No one seems to care about the earth. / Will it be the end? Do you know where you’re coming from? / We’re supposed to be living together in harmony. Same or different, / You lived in the same land. / The skies will be blue.” Alam (Nature) by Erwin Gutawa and Inet Leimena

These lyrics are sung by Sophia Latjuba, in her role as Bawi

Lamus, a strong, elegant and pretty lady in Dayak. She huddles at a small bridge while singing and dancing, following the rhythm. “Nature”, the first chapter of Bawi Lamus, tells about the beauty of nature, the hopes and dreams of the people in Tumbang Anoi Village, Central Kalimantan, and especially the Dayak Ngaju tribe as one of the 400 sub-ethnic communities in Central Kalimantan.

With Jay Subyakto as Art Director, this chapter continues by presenting a boy dressed in a traditional Dayak Ngaju outfit who dances in worry about the condition of nature in Borneo. His sorrow grows as he sees the trees are falling because of illegal logging, gold mining, coal mining and the opening of palm tree farms. The sadness becomes real when the Dayak land’s richness is left only with a tree as the animal lose their place to stay.

Bawi Lamus is not just a character played by Sophia Latjuba. It’s also the face of the motherland, the land where the Dayak Ngaju tribe was born and lives. It preserves the culture and traditions, together with nature and honouring of the ancestors.

The show was divided into four chapters and presented over a weekend at Teater Besar Taman Ismail Marzuki in Jakarta: (October 14-15). Bawi Lamus: Bumi Pertiwi, Tanah Dayak comes an idea of Dr. A. Teras Narang, who was Central Kalimantan Governor from 2005-15. As a student of the origins of the Dayak Ngaju tribe, he has a wish to see Dayak culture (especially the Dayak Ngaju) introduced to the larger public in Indonesia and overseas through dance and music. He believes that, from the Dayak culture, people can learn more about how to build a relationship between God, humanity and the environment.

The second chapter, “Human”, tells the story of the beginning of human creation by Kaharingan, an ancestral religion of the Dayak people whose Panaturan is a bible that tells of the Ranying Hatalla creations (God), the beginning of humanity and gives ceremonial guidance. With the dancers coming directly from Palangkaraya and directed by Edhi Agus Wiluyo and Siko Setyanto, this chapter shows three important traditional dances: Tari Lawang Sekepeng, Tari Bahalai, Tari Wurung Jue, and Tampung Tawar ceremony. It represents the Dayak Maanyan marriage. The healing ritual is also presented through dances such as Tari Wadian Bawo and Tari Gelang Dadas. It shows how the people invite the heavenly creatures. The dance creates a magical environment as the male dancers scream and perform dynamic movements to make the show come alive.

The third and fourth chapters bring the story to 1894, when all the sub-ethnic people in Dayak united after the tribal war in Tumbang Anoi. The 1,000 representatives from 152 tribes throughout Dayak agreed to end the war and bring peace to the region. The Gods of the sun, moon and time and also the Tingang bird appear in the last chapter, bringing hope to the Dayaks for the future.

The atmosphere becomes vivid thanks to the live performance of the Erwin Gutawa Orchestra. Combining traditional and orchestral is a challenge for Erwin, together with Lea Simanjuntak, who performs several songs in each chapter. The other important elements of the show are the costumes prepared by Paquita Widjaja Rustandi and Biyan, hairpieces by Rinaldy A, Yunardi and tattoo designs by Aman Durga Sipatiti, who focuses on the art of traditional tattoo.

In an interview with Prestige, Jay Subyakto said he felt honoured when chosen to take part in the creation of Bawi Lamus: Bumi Pertiwi, Tanah Dayak. “I’ve been to Borneo (Kalimantan) together with the other crew to learn more about the Dayak Ngaju culture,” he said. “It was a magical moment in my life. Indonesia is so rich in culture that hasn’t been exposed yet. Nature is also magical, but at the same time it makes me sad that the current situation is not the best for the people and also the animals, especially the orangutan. It really tickles my nerves to introduce the young generation to the culture of the Dayaks and the importance of paying more attention to our environment. I really hope that Bawi Lamus won’t end with these two days of performance. I hope we can bring it back to the motherland and then use it to promote Indonesian culture overseas.”

Executive Director Leo Rustandi shared his joy about the dance-music performance that attracted an audience of 1,750 over the two days, “I felt happy to celebrate the richness of the nation’s culture,” he said. “Bawi Lamus is a seed that we plant together to spread the honesty of heart and cultural richness of the Dayak tribe in a new format of performance in Indonesia. I’m proud to see Bawi Lamus becoming a place to explore the creative ideas of the artists and people who take part in it. I hope the seeds will grow stronger and create more artworks from the different cultures that can be presentable on the world stage.”