The archipelago has a wide variety of tribes and cultures in it. Indonesia is known as a country that familiarizes deliberation to reach a consensus and upholds cooperation. Diversity does not prevent Indonesians from tolerating each other in social life. The things that unite these thousands of islands include cuisine, diversity of natural beauty, and not to forget, sports. In various countries, it can be dealt with regarding the sports they uphold. In England for example, there is soccer, or the United States known for its American Football, Basketball, and Baseball.
Not inferior to these Western countries, Indonesia, also has a variety of traditional sports that are fun and can strengthen the rope of sportsmanship on this Cendrawasih Island. In 2021, the XX PON will be held in Papua, the sports that are included in the PON are Pencak Silat, Tarung Drajat, and Pacu Jalur.
PENCAK SILAT
Not only in PON, Pencak Silat is also a sport that is contested at sports parties such as the SEA Games and Asian Games. Even the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized on December 12, 2019, that this traditional sport is the country’s original heritage as a non-intangible cultural heritage. According to the Father of World Pencak Silat Eddie Marzuki Nalapraya, pencak silat originated from Minangkabau, West Sumatra, and Cimande, West Java. Then this sport spread throughout the archipelago with its various streams.
Pencak Silat has also been known in the archipelago since the 7th century, this can be proven through relief carvings depicting the stance of pencak silat horses can be found at Borobudur Temple located in Central Java.
TARUNG DRAJAT
This martial art was discovered and popularized by Achmad Drajat. Drajat explained that tarung drajat is a science, moral action, and life attitude that utilizes the ability of movement power such as muscles, brain, and conscience realistically and rationally. This sport focuses on efforts to master and apply the five moral forces, these are strength, speed, accuracy, courage, tenacity in the system of resistance, and aggressive and dynamic self-defense.
Movement in this sport is done in the form of punches, kicks, blocks, locks, evasions, and other important limb movements. In 1997, tarung drajat became an official member of the 53rd Central KONI with the management named Pengurus Besar Keluarga Olahraga Tarung Drajat (PB KODRAT). Moreover, in 2000, Tarung Drajat also been competed in PON, National Student Sports Week (POPNAS), and National Student Sports Week (POMNAS).
Until now, Tarung Drajat has been used as a basic self-defense exercise by the Indonesian National Army (TNI) and the Indonesian National Police (POLRI) and is included in the official curriculum of the cadets of the State Intelligence College (STIN). Tarung Drajat takes place in Regency Mimika, Papua.
PACU JALUR
Pacu Jalur is a traditional rowing sport from Kuantan Singingi Regency (Kuansing). Riau Province. The boat called ‘Jalur’ by the local people is made of logs. Pacu jalur was originally only organized by villages along the Kuantan River to commemorate the Maulid of the Prophet Muhammad SAW, Eid al-Fitr, and Muharram New Year.
Boats used in pacu jalur usually have a length of about 25 – 40 meters and a width of 1.3 – 1.4 meters. Each boat can accommodate 40-60 people. Even more interestingly, these boats are decorated with unique and colorful decorations.
This Traditional Sport became one of the sports contested at PON XX Papua 2021, accompanying Pencak Silat. With the Traditional Boat Race sport, the pacu jalur was held at the Jayapura City Cluster Veneu in 2021.