Baluse dance or war dance is a dance originating from South Nias, North Sumatra. This dance depicts the valor of warriors on the battlefield and the embodiment of the ancient culture of the Nias people. This dance is also called the Fataele dance which is also performed to welcome guests or tourists.
This dance is performed by several men representing warriors in red and yellow armor, Tologu swords, Baluse shields, war hats/crowns and spears (toho) that reach 2 meters in length. The Baluse shield used is made of wood shaped like a banana leaf and is held in the left hand to fend off the opponent’s attack. Meanwhile, the spear in the right hand is used to counter enemy attacks.
This dance is led by a commando like a strategic leader in war. The leader of the dance will give a signal to the dancers to form a long, four-line formation. The command position is in the front position, facing the dancers.
This dance begins with foot movements back and forth while stomping on the ground and shouting words of encouragement. The stomping of the feet in this dance is accompanied by music and the movement of swinging spears and swords, a picture of the troops’ readiness to march fearlessly into the battlefield with gusto. The existence of a circular formation in the dance movement describes the enemy’s siege.
Dancer Costume
At the beginning of its appearance, the costumes worn by war dancers were made of real brown bark or palm fiber which was rough and stiff.
However, over time, the costumes for war dancers have worn clothes made of cloth to make them more comfortable.
The cloth used also consists of various colors. The colors used for the costumes of the War dancers are red, yellow and black.
Read : SEO Method for Website URLs, Especially to Make WordPress Top 1
Baluse Dance Properties
The properties used in this dance in more detail are as follows:
- Toho or Spear, with a length of approximately 2 meters. Formerly used as a weapon to attack the enemy. Usually Toho is in the dancer’s right hand, while the dancer’s left hand carries Baluse.
- The Tologu sword, this sword was also used when fighting against enemies.
- Crown or War Hat, one of the properties that must exist in this dance.
- For clothing, the dancers wear armor of various colors, such as yellow, red and black. This armor is divided into inner and outer clothes using a war vest. For subordinates or pants, knee length in black and red.
History of War Dance
The history of the creation of this war dance was motivated by a Dutch attack on the people of Orahili Fau village in 1863.
The residents of Orahili Fau village, including 4 brothers, then fled to Majine village.
After 3 years, 3 of the 4 siblings returned to Orahili Fau village, while 1 other person chose to live in Majine village.
However, because their house in the village of Orahili Fau had been destroyed by the Dutch, they finally built a house near their village.
They were also still afraid that the Dutch would come back to attack their village.
Therefore, they decided to establish a new village where they built a traditional house called Bawomataluo.
The brothers then worked together to build a large traditional house in Orahili Fau village. However, in the middle of the house construction process, the older brother from Bawomataluo village instead went hunting and did not work together.
The younger brother became annoyed because he was waiting for his older brother who did not come, so there was a war between villages.
As a result of this event, the Baluse (War) dance was created, which is not only the pride of the Nias people, but also part of Indonesia’s cultural wealth.