Fun and entertainment are two words that are considered sufficient to describe the culture in Papua. Especially when we relate it to art in the fields of dance and singing. One type of dance that exists, grows and is preserved in Papua until it is famous and popular is the Sajojo Dance. The energetic and enthusiastic movements represent feelings of joy and the spirit of togetherness built in the culture of mutual cooperation in accordance with Papuan customs. The Sajojo dance is also accompanied by a song with the same title, Song Sajojo, which tells the story of admiration for a figure who can be called the dream village flower of the people of Papua.
Then, in their movements and attributes, the dancers also wear necklaces around their necks with characteristics that resemble the typical Papuan bird, the bird of paradise. Necklaces are made from stones, animal teeth, shells, or bones. Skirts are also used in the Sajojo dance which are made from dried palm fiber or sago tree leaves. The same material is also used for the tassels that are looped as bracelets on the dancer’s hands and feet. After that one there are typical Papuan weapons, namely arrows with bows or paintings depicting the natural beauty of Papua to complete the props used in the Sajojo dance.
With flexible movements, it means joy and cheerfulness, namely jumping forward, backward, left or right with other dancers and in line with the rhythm of the Sajojo song, an attribute that is very appropriate to the geography and nature of Papua and the pattern in the dance is not too has a lot of movement. This also makes this dance easy for anyone to perform, besides that there are also standard movements in the dance:
- The first movement is standing and half sitting, this first movement is done when the Sajojo dance begins.
- When the accompanying music starts, the dancer will stand up and jump forward or backward. Then open your hands in front of your face and jump forward. When you want to jump backwards, your hands are lowered.
- Repeat the first and second movements several times until the Sajojo song is sung on the first line.
- The next step is to jump to the right, then return to the starting position. When returning to the starting position, the dancers clap their hands twice.
- Next, the back and forth movement is done four times. When this movement is finished, the dancer’s arms will also be moved to the right and left.
- Do this movement several times, after that the dancer will spin and stomp several times in unison. The dancers will then rotate around the main dancer or guest of honor in the center of the circle.
This movement will be carried out until the Sajojo song is finished. The props worn by the dancers are also sounded while dancing, making the Sajojo dance even more lively.
