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Tumbu Tanah Dance for Welcoming Guests in Papua

by Senaman
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PAPUA – Tumbu Tanah Dance or Tumbu Tana Dance is a traditional dance typical of the Arfak people who live in Manokwari. This dance is also known as the snake dance because the formation of this dance forms a snake that wraps its body around a tree.

Tumbu Tanah dance is usually performed to welcome important events, namely welcoming guests from outside the Arfak community, war victories, and wedding celebrations. Tumbu Tanah dance is the identity of the Arfak community because all movements, formations, accompaniment songs, musical instruments, and accessories in Tumbu Tanah dance are typical of the Arfak community which distinguishes it from other tribal dances in the Papua region.

The Arfak (Mnu Kwar) community living in the Manokwari area consists of four sub-tribes, namely the Hattam tribe, the Sough tribe, the Moile tribe, and the Meyakh tribe. They have the same dance art, which is called the Tumbu Tanah dance. The four tribes call this dance Tumbu Tanah because they call it in different languages.

The Hattam tribe calls it Ibihim, while the Moile tribe calls it Isim. The Meyakh tribe calls Tumbu Tanah dance by the name Mugka and the Sough tribe calls it Manyohora.

The mention of the name Tumbu Tanah dance began when Christianity brought by two missionaries from Germany, namely Carl Wilhelm Ottow and Johann Gottlob Geissler, first entered Papua on February 5, 1855 through Mansinam Island. They not only brought the mission of evangelism, but also built various community facilities and infrastructure that changed civilization for the people of Papua, especially Manokwari.

To make it easier to mention this dance, they used Indonesian to call the dance of the Arfak community by the name of Tumbu Tanah dance so that it could be recognized by other people outside the four sub-tribes.

Based on its origin, Tumbu Tanah dance is inseparable from the mythology of the origin of the Arfak people regarding the story of “Legend of Jambu Mandatjan” which originated in Kampung Ndui. The legend of Jambu Mandatjan is a story about the struggle for ownership of one of the guava trees that has been divided according to the keret (clan) in Manokwari by the children of one of the keret.

Tumbu Tanah dance is a dance that is performed en masse and is not limited to the number of dance participants. This dance can involve residents of one village or a combination of residents from several villages. This means that Tumbu Tanah dance can be participated in groups by all levels of society, both young and old, mingling together in the dance.

In general, the basic movements of Tumbu Tanah dance among the Arfak community have no difference. The basic difference lies in the dance partner, the song sung, and the purpose of the dance. In addition, this dance does not have many varieties of movements. Tumbu Tanah dance only recognizes two basic movements, namely bihim ifiri kai cut (jumping while stomping on the ground) and yam (holding hands). The song sung in Tumbu Tanah dance must smell like a song of praise to the ancestral spirits of the Arfak people.

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