Dishes Menu held in the wedding tradition in Telaga Langsat in July 6th 2018. Photo by Rahquel Inez
Telaga Langsat, is a village located in the Telaga Langsat sub-district, Hulu Sungai Selatan Regency, South Kalimantan. The village is divided by rivers that flow in the middle of the village and affect the naming of the area, namely the area located on the north side of the river is called “Banua Hanyar”.
The name comes from the Banjar language, Banua, which means village and Hanyar, which means new. Naming is based on the beginning of the occupation of the area which is no longer than the southern part.
The population of Telaga Langsat Village consists of 442 family heads (KK). Most of the villagers are Banjar tribes. The interesting thing about this area is that there is still a strong culture. This can be seen from the use of the Banjar language, the houses of the people in the form of traditional houses, forms of wedding traditions, and performing arts.
Banjar language
Banjar is an everyday language, both young and old. The language of banjar itself has uploads like Javanese. Like for example the use of the words “ikam” and “pian”, both words have the same meaning namely “you”. However, its use is different, “ikam” is used for younger people or peers. Whereas, “pian” is used for older people or higher ranks. The word shows respect and courtesy.
The shape of the house in the village is mostly a stilt house with the whole material made of wood. This type of wood is determined to be strong for years. Wood that is commonly used is ironwood (ulin), wood which is famous for being hard and can last long even though it is exposed to rain and heat.
While the house roof is composed of zinc, if using tiles it will put a heavy burden on the composition of the house in the form of wood. The consideration of using zinc is because it is lightweight, easy to get, and affordable.
Marriage tradition in these areas are still rich in gotong royong (mutual cooperation) culture. Surrounding neighborhoods, especially mothers went to the host’s house in droves to help preparing cuisine
While the tradition of marriage in the area is still full of the culture of mutual cooperation around the community, especially mothers. People flock to homes that have the intention to help prepare a menu for the next day.
Because the majority of the people are farmers, the dishes must be cooked before 6 in the morning. Because residents will come to the “appeal” at 6 in the morning before they leave for the rice fields. The menu served is also typical, starting from ketupat kandangan, soto banjar, haruan fish / smoked cork and sweet and sour vegetables with dried fish, for other menus is an additional menu.
An interesting thing is how to eat the menu. In eating ketupat kandangan people immediately use their hands. According to residents, this causes the taste of cuisine to be more enjoyable and is a characteristic in eating ketupat kandangan.
Art Shows
Wayang Kulit show in the Marriage ceremony in Telaga Langsat, South Kalimantan. Photo by Aswin Wahyu K.
In the weddings, there are several hosts performing art shows, including wayang kulit, kuntau, and pending music. The wayang kulit show has similarities to the wayang kulit in Java. The difference is that there are fewer puppets and in the performance components there are no gamelan and sinden.
In addition to shadow puppets, the performances held at night are pending music which is a musical instrument. The way to sound it is picked like a guitar. In the performance, other gamelan components such as drums and guitars are needed to beautify the music. In addition, there are sinden and dancers that complement the pending musical performances.
However, the show has not been held for a long time, because of the riots at each show. The reason is that every citizen can answer and dance with the dancers. That is what causes chaos. If wayang kulit and pending music are carried out at night, there are performances held during the day, namely kuntau.
Preparing Sesajen
A citizen was doing Kuntau in Telaga Langsat Village. Photo by Rahquel Inez
The show is a martial performance such as pencak silat, which can be played solo (alone) to show the beauty of the movement or both like fighting. The show is accompanied by music and accompanied by elders or elders. If unwanted things like trance occur, the elders will take action.
Usually trance events occur in residents who are still descendants of “datuk” or great-grandparents who have the ability to stunt. It is believed that the spirit of “Datuk” will come when the performance takes place, so that residents must prepare offerings in the form of black coffee. Trance can occur when offerings are not prepared or someone drinks the offerings.
The thick culture is a form of people’s appreciation for their own culture. If there is no appreciation, culture will be lost in this modern era. Strong foundations must be instilled early on with local residents so that their cultural wealth is not lost or claimed by the state.
(Author: Rohmi Salamah ; Source: https://muda.kompas.id/2018/08/05/telaga-langsat-warga-banua-dan-budayanya/; translator: Harun Ardiansyah)