The first traditional dance of the Papuan people, Soanggi Dance, is a traditional dance originating from the coastal area of Cendrawasih Bay, Waropen Regency, West Papua Province. The initial existence of Soanggi dance is not very clear, but this dance is one form of expression of the people of West Papua which is still thick with magical nuances. The dance begins with the story of a husband whose wife died after being attacked by a creature called anggi-anggi or soanggi (so-being), in Java commonly called memedi.
According to local beliefs, soanggi is an evil spirit that has not found comfort in the afterlife. The evil spirit will usually possess the body of a woman. If the victim has been attacked, the chiefs will immediately find out the soanggi that has harmed the victim as a preventive measure.
The strong magical nuances were then realized into the Soanggi dance known until now. Before the dancers start playing it, they must first perform a ritual led by the tribal chief.
The dance is performed by dozens of male dancers and a leader armed with a shield and machete. They wear tassels to cover their lower bodies. The dance depicts a war between people armed with bows and arrows and a soanggi. In that war, the soanggi can be the winning party.
The movements in the dance serve to expel evil spirits who are still bound by promises and have not been fulfilled. Every movement made in this dance is more like the activity of a shaman or someone who has magical powers that will cure an illness.
The clothing used by dancers uses traditional West Papuan clothing. The accompaniment of this dance uses tifa musical instruments and shell trumpets, as well as songs performed by the dancers. This dance is only performed when a resident dies, not for a public performance or art performance.
