Kinyah Mandau Dance: “Dance before killing.”

Kinyah Mandau Dance

Kinyah Mandau Dance. In the area of ​​Central Kalimantan, martial arts are not only to protect ourselves from something that harms us. But it is also a place to show traditional dances that have beautiful movements and tend to be different from traditional dances from other regions. This dance is usually known as the Kinyah Mandau Dance.

The distribution of the Dayak tribe is almost evenly distributed in the Kalimantan area. Due to the wide distribution of the area and the different natural conditions, the Dayak tribe has abundant and countless cultural wealth.

The cultural wealth of the Dayak Tribe is almost widespread throughout the Kalimantan region. One of the riches that we can know is the cultural richness that comes from the province of Central Kalimantan.

Kinyah Mandau dance is one of the dances originating from the Dayak tribe that displays elements of martial arts, theatrical arts, and the arts of war by combining these elements and making beautiful movements. This dance is very famous, almost all the Dayak tribes in Kalimantan have this type of dance. Especially in Central Kalimantan, here the dance is commonly known as the Kinyah Mandau Dance.

The name Kinyah Mandau Dance comes from the word kinyah which means war dance and uses a saber as the ultimate weapon.

History of Kinyah Mandau Dance

This dance in the story originates from the ancient Dayak tradition which is commonly called kinyah, which means war dance in preparation for killing and targeting to hunt down the enemy’s head.

At that time the youth of the Dayak tribe had to do head hunting for various reasons or different needs in each tribe, as a physical preparation for the hunt, the youths did kinyah or which means war dance. Perhaps in today’s society, kanyah is equated with rehearsal before the actual performance.

Almost all Dayak sub-tribes have this war dance. In the past, this dance was performed and immediately seen by all villagers, to observe and see which youths were suitable and ready to be released into the battlefield to hunt down the heads of whomever they met. But they are not allowed to hunt for the heads of people who come from their own villages.

The origin of the Kinyah Mandau Dance

At that time there were various terms that were feared by the surrounding community, one of which was hakayau (cutting off each other’s heads), hapini (killing each other), and hajipen (enslaving). At that time the law of the jungle was very applicable in society, that the strong always ruled.

Every boy who manages to kill and get a human head will be branded as a grown child and will be given a tattoo on his calf to indicate that he has become an adult.

The ancient Ngaju Dayak tribes had other reasons for doing hakayau or mengayau. They carry out headhunting for the purposes of the “Tiwah” traditional event. Tiwah or ceremony to clean the bones of ancestors to be escorted to heaven for their beliefs.

The human head that has been obtained will be hung at the center of the tiwah event, then buried near the sandung or also a small house where the bones of the ancestor who are told are placed and if the person killed has a slave then the slave must be killed as well.

End of headhunting

This headhunting tradition ended after the Tumbang Anoi peace agreement which took place around 1894. In the process of this peace agreement, leaders from various parts of the Dayak tribe met and concluded a mutual peace agreement.

What made the Dayak tribe divided at that time was because there was suspicion between the tribes. Therefore, after the agreement is completed, each tribe must show its new movement in hunting down the enemy’s head and every other sub-tribe can see it, so that there is no more suspicion between tribes. Since then, the secret divide, suspicion between the Dayak sub-tribes has been completely destroyed.

When this peace agreement the Oot Danum Dayak tribe brought a new movement to hunt for his head, because the people knew this tribe had dangerous techniques to kill their enemies.

The incident of the Tumbang Anoi incident then inspired the birth of a dance creation called the Pangkalima Tumbang Anoi dance, which briefly conveys the message of peace and unity that makes the community progress and prosper. The need for digital IT is needed in daily activities, Bead IT Consultant is the right choice as your partner, visit our website by clicking this link: www.beadgroup.com