This Manduda Traditional Dance is a traditional art originating from North Sumatra Province, precisely in Simalungun. Simalungun people in ancient times called the area by the name Sima-sima Nalungun which means a quiet area.
This happened because the people at that time lived far apart or did not gather together. However, gradually people began to call it by the name Simalungun until now.
History of Manduda Traditional Dance
This Manduda traditional dance is said to have existed during the Simalungun kingdom. The philosophy of why it is called Manduda Dance by the Simalungun community is that it originates from the word Manduda which comes from God.
This god is a folk song of the Simalungun residents sung by a group of people using a tone that comes from clapping hands.
Then from this god, the Simalungun community turned it into a song (doding) entitled Manduda.
Doding or Manduda song is a song that contains a message so that the younger people respect the older people.
Another implied meaning or message in the Manduda song is to describe togetherness in doing any kind of work.
This is so that young people have more respect and responsibility for whatever work they do.
Then from here then created a dance with the same title as the doding or the song, namely the Manduda dance, which shows togetherness in working on the harvest.
The Meaning of the Manduda Traditional Dance
The general understanding of Manduda Dance for the Simalungun community is pounding rice which will later become rice.
Dance or dance art for the people in Simalungun Regency is a form of gratitude for the results they get.
Included in this Manduda traditional dance, which expresses the happiness of the local community at the harvest party. The Manduda dance is a dance creation that has become a tradition and culture as a result of the characteristics of the Simalungun community.
The movement of the Manduda traditional dance looks agile and graceful like the movement when sifting and threshing rice. In this dance, it very clearly describes the life of the farmers who are cultivating the fields from planting rice to harvesting rice which is implied through the movements in the Manduda dance performance.
Simalungun Regency in its government system is not divided into two, but the Simalungun people often refer to their area as Simalungun Atas and Simalungun Bawah.
There is a mention of the Upper and Lower areas to indicate the geographical location of each of these areas, that the Upper Simalungun area is higher and the Lower Simalungun geographical location is lower.
But apparently this has an impact on the differences in dance styles between the people of the Upper Simalungun and Lower Simalungun areas.
Likewise in this Manduda traditional dance where the Upper Simalungun area is mostly inhabited by indigenous people while the Lower Simalungun area is more mixed with immigrants who live in the area such as Javanese, Malay, and Chinese.
Although the differences in dance styles are not that prominent. Because the people in the Upper Simalungun area are the original Simalungun Batak tribe, so the Manduda dance style is a little more assertive and the movement style looks straighter and more authoritative.
It is different with the people in the Lower Simalungun area, which are mostly inhabited by immigrants from Java and Malay, so the dance style is softer and a bit coquettish. Then the movement style leans more forward and uses hip movements.
In the count of dance movements, there are also differences between the people who live in the Upper Simalungun and Lower Simalungun areas.
The count of dance moves in the Upper Simalungun community uses a count of up to 8, while in the Lower Simalungun community they use a count of only up to 4 only.
This Manduda dance has also been taught from generation to generation to the next generation.
So that this Manduda Dance by the Simalungun community itself is not just the result of culture or dance art.
However, this has penetrated into the hearts of the Simalungun community or seems to have become ingrained as well. The Manduda dance is also often performed at various events to be better known by the wider community.
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