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POLICY
Policy in the field of culture aims to among other things enhance the people's awareness on the importance of preserving each local culture, within the frame of national unity, in the form of national culture suitable with the motto `Unity in Diversity'. It is also designed to more preserve the national cultural values through efforts of revelation, study, and nurture of traditional values, customs, and believe in One and Only God existing and developing in respective tribes or ethnic groups, so that they can be a reference in the life of society, nation and state, particularly for younger generation through the channel of non-formal (family and community) education, formal education, and mass-media. Besides, pride and respect towards our national cultural nobility be more nurtured to strengthen the nation's self esteem.
Various measures have been taken in the context of among other things improving the performance of national film industry as part of culture, and enhancing the community's appreciation to the national film products; developing the national Indonesian language and local languages and promoting the use of the Indonesian language and local languages properly and well; writing and nurturing historical values and heroism to build nationality and spirit of patriotism, particularly for younger generation; and protecting, safeguarding, caring, conserving and renovating historical sites and objects spread throughout the country, including that of underwater archaeology, etc.
CULTURAL REMAINS
The country is stunningly rich in kinds of arts and craft. Skill and creativity of Balinese artisans have been popular worldwide. So have craftsmen and artisans of woodcarving from Jepara, Central Java and West Sumatra, cloth weaving from East Nusa Tenggara and Palembang, batik cloth from Solo (Central Java), Yogyakarta, Cirebon (West Java), Pekalongan (Central Java), Madura (East Java) etc. In many places in the country, artistry has been a daily life. For instance, a mere simplest household item, usually made of bamboo or rattan, is plaited artistically and decorated with patterns inherited from one generation to another.
MUSIC
Gamelan is a music instrument having been so popular and reaching a sublime degree in Java and Bali. Nowadays, this kind of music has been well known in almost entire Indonesia. Word of Gamelan is derived from Javanese word `gamel' meaning "to beat." The gamelan orchestra generally composes of xylophones of bronze or copper bars suspended over bamboo, wood or metal resonators. A complete gamelan outfit consists of two sets of ensembles, each tuned to a different tone system.
In addition to gamelan there are gambus, a music instrument in the form of guitar but more narrowed; kecapi, Indonesian style zitar, popular among Sundanese (West Java). Usually this kecapi is accompanied by bamboo flute, to make kecapi-suling with rather melancholic resonance; angklung, traditional music instrument made of bamboo popular in many places in the country.
PUPPET SHOW
The word wayang derives from the Javanese word meaning bayangan in the Indonesia language or shadow in English. In Central and East Java and Bali, puppet show is a shadow show to which onlookers watch the shadow of puppets, made of leather, manipulated by a narrator while narrating a story. In West Java, puppets are made of wood, and the local people name them "golek," "golek" show.
Puppet show is usually played during the night, almost the whole night. Through TV, puppet show time usually is shortened to a half to one hour only. The story of the show is usually culled from Hindu epics Ramayana and Mahabrata. In addition to these puppet shows, there is also wayang wong which is played by a number of dancers.
Indonesians were puffed up with pride when in November 2003 the UNESCO, one of the UN organizations, recognized and appointed puppet show as the World Master Piece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
DANCES
Betawi modern dance |
Many regions of the country have their own dances. The dances are believed to originate from either religious rituals or have been developed for presentation at special occasions, such as in welcoming guests or visitors. Among those dances acclaiming popularity among the people are: tanggai dance of South Sumatra, mask dance of Jakarta and Cirebon (West Java), remong dance of East Java, saman dance of Aceh, piring dance of West Sumatra, etc. Meanwhile, the best known war dances include baris dance from Bali, beksa lawung dance from Yogyakarta, negejiak and kantet from Kalimantan, seudati agam from Aceh, and cakalele from North Sulawesi.
CARVING
Using various materials such as wood, ivory, and bone, the art of carving and sculpting has always been the artistic heritage of Indonesians. Jepara (Central Java) and Bali are the hubs of the woodcarver's art. However, unlike Jepara's art, which typically adopts rather traditional patterns for the ornamentation of objects, Balinese carvers and sculptors often tend to follow innovative and creative spirit of the people. Less popular but not of mediocre degree are the carvings of some regions including West Sumatra and Tana Toraja (South Sulawesi). While rather "primitive" art pattern of Asmat people in Papua have been famous the world over. The centers of leather art are Solo (Central Java) and Yogyakarta.
TRADITIONAL WEAVING
Producting exquisite "songket" cloth in South Sumatra |
Indonesia is one of the world's leading traditional textiles producers. The skills to produce the traditional textiles have been going down from one generation to another within thousands of years. Some of the most beautiful and highly artistic cloths are the work of even simple village throughout the country.
In the past, many of the traditional cloths were attributed to magical properties and in some occasions still are and were used in the various rites related to the important milestones in the human life cycle, such as birth, adulthood and death.
Of the country's best known traditional textiles are the ikat cloths of several regions, the batik of Java, the songket or Saji textiles of South Sumatra, ulos cloths of Batak, North Sumatra, and lurik of Solo (Central Java) and Yogyakarta.
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