Indonesia is also rich of cultures and traditional musical instruments, with its diverse coming in hundreds of different forms and styles, uniquely differs from one region to another, that has been heritage for centuries.
In terms of cultural heritage, Indonesia has plenty to offer since it dwells an abundance of long-preserved traditions originating from hundreds of local ethnicities. According to UNESCO, the term ‘cultural heritage’ includes traditions or living expressions inherited from ancestors and passed on to the descendants, such as oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals, festive events, knowledge and practices concerning nature and the universe or the knowledge and skills to produce traditional crafts.
As a big part of cultural preservation, UNESCO has listed Intangible Cultural Heritages from Indonesia, which will be explained in this article.
Sasando
Based on the tone structure, Sasando can be divided into two types. First, the Sasando gong with a pentatonic tone system has twelve strings. This type of sasando can usually only be used to play traditional songs of the people on Rote Island Indonesia.
Wayang Puppet Theatre
Inscribed in 2008 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Renowned for its elaborate puppets and complex musical styles, this ancient form of storytelling originated on the Indonesian island of Java. For ten centuries wayang flourished at the royal courts of Java and Bali as well as in rural areas. Wayang has spread to other islands (Lombok, Madura, Sumatra and Borneo) where various local performance styles and musical accompaniments have developed.
While these carefully handcrafted puppets vary in size, shape and style, two principal types prevail: the three-dimensional wooden puppet (wayang klitik or golèk) and the flat leather shadow puppet (wayang kulit) projected in front of a screen lit from behind. Both types are characterized by costumes, facial features and articulated body parts.
The master puppeteer (dalang) manipulates the swivelling arms by means of slender sticks attached to the puppets. Singers and musicians play complex melodies on bronze instruments and gamelan drums. In the past, puppeteers were regarded as cultivated literary experts who transmitted moral and aesthetic values through their art. The words and actions of comic characters representing the “ordinary person” have provided a vehicle for criticizing sensitive social and political issues, and it is believed that this special role may have contributed to wayang’s survival over the centuries.
Batik
In general, batik is a fabric painted in a night candle liquid using a tool called canting resulting in a high-value, exquisite traditional garment product. The word batik itself is presumably derived from the word ‘ambatik’ in Javanese, which translates into ‘a cloth with little dots’. Since UNESCO acknowledged batik as one of the Masterpieces of Intangible Cultural Heritages by UNESCO in 2009, batik is more internationally known as the ideal representation of Indonesian traditional clothing.
There are approximately thousands of different batik designs in Indonesia. Some designs have been culturally associated with traditional festivals and specific religious ceremonies. In the past, locals believed that certain cloth had magical powers to ward off bad luck, while other pieces could also bring good luck.
UNESCO has listed the traditional dyeing technique of Indonesian Batik as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009. Nowadays batik has become increasingly popular even among young generation with batik factories have started to manufacture more wearer-friendly and fashionable batik outfits.
Tenun
Tenun (handloom) is an artful Indonesian technique of making a fabric by weaving different colours of threads. Tenun belongs to one of the typical Indonesian cultural arts produced by hand skills using traditional looms. The word Tenun itself has a high meaning, historical value, and technique in terms of colors, motifs, and types of materials and threads used and each region has its own characteristics. In addition, Tenun is also one of Indonesia’s original cultural heritages that is still maintained and preserved to this day.
Tenun fabrics are made in various places in the Indonesian archipelago such as on the islands of Sumatra, Java, Bali and Sulawesi, where each region has its own uniqueness and characteristics in terms of motifs and colors.
These differences are caused by geographical location, beliefs, customs and the surrounding natural conditions including flora and fauna, each region has certain differences and uniqueness as well as contacts or relationships between regions, from the many types of Tenun, ikat and songket are the most famous, even tenun ikat is well known and popular in many countries.
Since 2010, various Tenun traditions practiced throughout Indonesia officially recognized and regarded by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of Republic Indonesia as integral part of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage of Indonesia.
Angklung
Inscribed in 2010 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Angklung is an Indonesian musical instrument consisting of two to four bamboo tubes suspended in a bamboo frame, bound with rattan cords. The tubes are carefully whittled and cut by a master craftsperson to produce certain notes when the bamboo frame is shaken or tapped.
Each Angklung produces a single note or chord, so several players must collaborate in order to play melodies. Traditional Angklungs use the pentatonic scale, but in 1938 musician Daeng Soetigna introduced Angklungs using the diatonic scale; these are known as angklung padaeng.
The Angklung is closely related to traditional customs, arts and cultural identity in Indonesia, played during ceremonies such as rice planting, harvest and circumcision. The special black bamboo for the Angklung is harvested during the two weeks a year when the cicadas sing, and is cut at least three segments above the ground, to ensure the root continues to propagate.
Angklung education is transmitted orally from generation to generation, and increasingly in educational institutions. Because of the collaborative nature of Angklung music, playing promotes cooperation and mutual respect among the players, along with discipline, responsibility, concentration, development of imagination and memory, as well as artistic and musical feelings.
Pencak Silat
Inscribed in 2019 on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. In addition to their sporting element, Traditions of Pencak Silat also encompass mental-spiritual, self-defence and artistic aspects. The moves and styles of Pencak Silat are strongly influenced by various elements of art, involving a unity of body and movement fitting the accompanying music.
The term ‘pencak’ is better known in Java, while the term ‘silat’ is better known in West Sumatra, describing a group of martial arts with many similarities. In addition to local terms, each region has its own moves, styles, accompaniments, music, and supporting equipment, which includes costumes, musical instruments, and traditional weapons.
Pencak Silat practitioners are taught to maintain their relationship with God, human beings, and nature, and are trained in various techniques to deal with attacks or other dangerous situations based on principles to protect themselves as well as others, avoid harming the offender and build comradeship. The practice strengthens comradeship, maintains social order, and provides entertainment for ritual ceremonies. Related knowledge and skills are commonly taught in non-formal schools and include oral traditions and expressions such as greetings, philosophical phrases, rhymed poems, advice, as well as songs and techniques to play the instruments.
Gamelan
Inscribed in 2021on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Gamelan refers to the traditional Indonesian percussion orchestra and to the set of musical instruments used. Consisting primarily of ornate, percussive instruments made of hand-forged metal, the ensemble typically includes xylophones, gongs, gong-chimes, drums, cymbals, string instruments and bamboo flutes.
Gamelan music follows precise rules and techniques regarding tuning, layout, rhythmic and metric patterns and performance. For instance, the melody is played simultaneously by a group of instruments and multiple instruments may play interlocking parts to form a single rhythm. The music is played by men, women and children of all ages, and is typically performed in religious rituals, ceremonies, traditional theatre, festivals and concerts. It is also used for music therapy and is viewed as a means of expression and as a way of establishing a connection between humans and the universe.
Gamelan is an integral part of Indonesian identity dating back centuries; archaeological evidence of the practice has been found in the relief sculptures of the eighth-century Borobudur temple. Practitioners include vocalists and instrumentalists, as well as instrument-makers and tuners. An important source of national pride, Gamelan continues to be passed down from generation to generation through informal and formal education, including in school and after-school activities.
Religion
The country officially acknowledges six major religions, namely Islam, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.
Indonesia as a country that highly respects the values of tolerance has also been recognized and became of model of how a country is harmonious across ethnic, religious, racial and cultural diversity.
