PENCAK SILAT Be proud of Pencak Silat, Live the Value

Be proud of PENCAK SiLAT Live the Value

Indonesia should be proud after some of its natural and cultural property was recognized as a world heritage by UNESCO, including the Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto (OCMHS) which was inscribed on World Heritage List (Culture Category) on June 6, 2019 in

Azervaijan. Six months later, in Bogota,

Colombia, on December 12, 2019,

UNESCO inscribed one of element of

Indonesia intangible cultural Heritage, namely Traditions of Pencak Silat on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. These two important moments have become a source of pride for the people of West Sumatra in particular, because the cultural heritages are located and originate from West Sumatra.

This West Sumatra’s pride is reasonable. As we know, pencak silat is a tradition of Indonesian that originated from West Sumatra and West Java, then it has grown to spread all across Indonesia with each region having its own characteristic of moves and style that are passed down from generation to generation. West Sumatra with its Minangkabau ethnicity has a historical record as a source of inspiration for the Indonesian people. Minangkabau Silat or silek has also become an Indonesian Intangible Cultural Heritage List (ICH List) and is registered in the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology with registration number 201400096. After growing nationally, pencak silat as a form of martial art has

From Indonesia, pencak silat is now one of the world’s types of martial arts -

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even spread to dozens of countries in the world. UNESCO recognizes that pencak silat has become an identity and nation unifier that contain the values of friendship, mutual respect, and social cohesion campaigns. Not only does pencak silat teaches us techniques to deal with attacks, but it also teaches us to hold back. The Minangkabau society knows silat/ silek in various activities. If silat is associated with the various movements with their various moves are performed in the arena, then silat in this context is called pancak/pencak, or bapancak which means doing pencak silat movements. Meanwhile, bersilat in the context of speaking skills or bersilat lidah, the Minangkabau people apply it in the form of basurah adaik (writing traditional cases) and pasambahan speeches (traditional speeches) which are used in various activities and life cycles of the Minangkabau society starting from birth, aqeeqa (the Islamic sharia of the sacrifice of one or two sacrificial animal on the occasion of a child’s birth), khatna (circumcision), marriage, and death. All of them use the skills of bersilat lidah in doing them.

Silat as an activity of various movements and games, whether it is a martial art or a folk sparring that grows and lives and develops in Minangkabau society is used in order to maintain sovereignty and dignity. If in a silat game a person cannot fend off and dodge his opponent’s attack, then in the Minangkabau language it is

known as buluih (who lost in silek match) which causes those who are buluih not to dare to go back to the arena in the sense that they have lost in everything. Usually the surau (a place to pray) becomes their place for self-introspection and correcting their mistakes.

In addition, the silat maestros have also a view that the performance, done by silat as a form of martial arts game, is a series of movements that are displayed with the patterns they set in which there is a charge of society’s cultural values, meaning that in every silat movement, the cultural values have a relationship between the physical readiness (silat movement) and the inner (spirituality) of a cultural community group in keeping and maintaining self-respect and honor.

After being listed in UNESCO, then….

When pencak silat has been inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, what can we do afterward? Is it just a matter of pride that will be told to the children and grandchildren in the future? We need to think about those questions and reflect on them because they happen and can be seen with the naked eye. Buildings marked with cultural heritage signs are protected by law are just a label. The follow-up to world heritage labelling is very less, if it can’t be said that there is none. It also happens to pencak silat, to what extent the values of intangibles internalize and they can be preserved. Several efforts have been made by the government through various activities, but it should be remembered that the values in it should not be neglected.

Gelanggang Silih Berganti or GSB (The arena of taking turns) is an activity initiated by the local government of West Sumatra and carried out alternately in various cities and districts in West Sumatra in order to preserve traditional silat in the midst of society’s lives. Before being named GSB, the activity related to appreciation of Minangkabau traditional silat was called the Minangkabau Traditional Silat Festival (FSTM) which was held in Padang in 1981. In 1984 and onwards, the name was replace by Gelanggang Silih Berganti through a decision issued by Indonesian Pencak Silat Association (IPSI) of West Sumatra Number 074-BX / PENGDA /1984 until

now.

Silek Art Festival (SAF) is a program that is held under the Indonesiana Platform initiated by Directorate General of Culture, Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia. This program aims to elevate self-identity and explore existing values that are stored and used as a formulation of knowledge and understanding of Minangkabau ancestors. This SAF activity has been

started since 2018 involving 8 RegenciesCities in West Sumatra Province. The first SAF was opened in Padang City by presenting a series of activities and culture related to silek. During the series of SAF activities, seminars related to silek and screening of art films related to silek were also held. The event was closed in Bukittinggi City by performing a silek-based dance by Nan Jombang Dance Company.

Maurak Balabek in Pauh V and Pauh IX, Padang City is a cultural event carried out by the Pauh society in raising Tuo Tapian (Silat Elders) on 14 tapians or silek colleges around Pauh V and Pauh IX. This activity is routinely held by the Pauh society in order to maintain the silek existence and pencak silat. Tuo Tapian is the leader of the tapian whose job is to lead the tapian as a support for Ninik Mamak Bajinih’s duties in each of the tapian tribes. Those tapian are the Jambak Ba Tujuh in Kuranji, Caniago Korong Gadang, the Koto Ba Tujuh Tribe in Pasa Ambacang, and the Tapian for the Sikumbang Tribe in Anduriang, and then, the tapian for Malayu tribe in Lubuk Lintah, Tanjuang tribes in Ampang, Koto Baduo in Kalumbuk, Jambak Baduo in Gunung Sarik and Guci in Sapih River. It is also the same in Pauh V which consists of five tribes and five tapian.

Silek lanyah appearance in the tourist village of Kubu Gadang is usually held after rice-harvesting season. Every movement that is demonstrated in silek lanyah is derived from the silat movement in Minangkabau. Silek lanyah usually begins when plowing the fields after the harvest is over. This silek lanyah action is performed by young people in the local village who care about local wisdom. Although it looks simply, the challenge of bersilat in the puddle field is certainly very difficult and heavy. However, because Kubu Gadang has become a popular tourist village with many visitors, silek lanyah is currently performed not only during the harvest season, but also during a special moment which is provided by activists of tourist village.

With the existence of several programs and activities pioneered and initiated by the government and the society, it is hoped that pencak silat as UNSCO ICH List which originated from the West Sumatra silek can become a cultural heritage that is not only for romanticization but more than that, as a sustainable cultural practice. Many efforts have been done as a form of commitment to development and preservation, so that concerns about the loss of values and messages contained in pencak silat may be avoided.

(Bahren, S.S., M.A/Lecturer of Minangkabau Literature, Andalas University)

One of the silat performances performed in Bukittinggi -

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