Indonesia Saman Highlight
Saman is the traditional dynamic religious performance art of the Gayo people in Gayo Lues and surrounding districts in Aceh province. The performers, always an odd number, sit on their heels and kneel in tight lines. They are led by a trainer or penangkat in the middle, flanked by two players on each side called pengapit and penyepit. The people at the ends of the line are called penupang. Saman movements symbolize the environment, nature and everyday life, e.g. leaves swaying in the wind, a buffalo bathing, digging in a rice paddy, pounding rice, etc. The verses and movements go on continuously in an ever-increasing tempo without a break until the performance ends. The Saman is also an important binding cultural mechanism among different communities and it is performed on many occasions.
Indonesia
2019