Babukung
Genre	Funeral rituals in Kaharingan religion Mask dance
Location(s)	Central Kalimantan, Indonesia
Years active	then-now
Participants	Kaharingan prayers (Dayak people)
Patron(s)	• Indonesian Kaharingan Religious Council  • Kaharingan Hindu Religious Regional Council  • Biggest Hindu Kaharingan Religion Council
People	Mantir (Kaharingan's priest)

Babukung is a dance ritual at funerals of the Kaharingan religion which is performed by several sub-Dayak ethnic groups, especially the Tomun people, Ngaju people, Ot Danum people and other Dayak tribes who still embraced the Kaharingan religion in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia.^[1]

Overview

This dance uses a mask called "Sababuka" or also "Luha" with certain imaginary and animal characters, while the dancers are called "Bukung". The Babukung dance is performed when accompanying a burial ceremony, it can also be before the body is buried, or during a Tiwah ceremony. The Bukung dance itself is performed accompanied by typical Dayak music.^[2] Babukung has been officially designated as one of the cultural festival routine agendas by the Lamandau Regency Government, which is now known as the Babukung Festival.^[3]

This ritual is often found in several areas in Central Kalimantan where the Kaharingan religion is still embraced, such as Katingan and Lamandau districts. When a Dayak person belonging to the Kaharingan religion dies, these Bukung will come from a neighboring village or from a community group with the aim of entertaining the bereaved family with the sound of musical instruments and dancing while handing over donations in the form of money, groceries, even livestock such as pigs or chickens . The Babukung ritual aims to dispel and absorb evil spirits in the surrounding environment so that they do not disturb the journey of spirits that have just died or spirits that are being Tiwah-ed. The Babukung ritual should not be performed if no one has died or there is no funeral ceremony at all, because Babukung is closely related to death and the spirits of people who have died. If it is violated then there will be bad things that happen. There are many sacred and magical aspects contained in every dance and movement of the Babukung. Each Bukung has a different musical accompaniment. For the Tomun Dayak people, the Babukung Dance is not just an art performance. The Babukung Dance is a product of the original art of our ancestors on Borneo, which has a very high historical and philosophical value. In the Babukung dance itself, there are variations of art in it such as the art of masks, fashion, and even elements of theatrical art.

Each Bukung movement depends on the "Luha", so the movements are very varied. The masks used in general have various characters. For example animal characters such as birds, bats, butterflies, gibbons, to imaginary dragons. Each mask or "Luha" is believed to contain meaning and manifestation of ancestral spirits. The Babukung mask is believed to be able to communicate with ancestors and dispel evil spirits. "Bukung Kambe" (Ghost Bukung) is one of the Luhas who is believed to have enormous power and is able to catch many evil spirits when there is a death ceremony. In the Babukung dance, there are several rituals for the Luha before it being used, because they are very sacred. The Big Bukung dance must be prayed through a kind of ritual by the Mantir (Kaharingan priest). The Bukung dancers are also very careful in dancing the Bukung dance, the attitude and appearance of the dance will vary depending on who dies. If the person who died is a person who is highly respected, then the dance is performed for a long time, usually up to 31 days.

Babukung's achievements

The Babukung Festival was chosen as one of the various agendas in the Indonesian Ministry of Tourism's COE (Calendar Of Event) and KEN (Karisma Event Nusantara). At the 2015 Babukung Festival, which featured more than 1,000 Bukung, it managed to break the record for the most traditional mask dance performances and was recorded at the Indonesian Record Museum.^[4] The Babukung has also been shown at the 2018 Wonderful Sail Yacht Rally event.

References