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To sing a song of Papua
In costume: Women singers of Iyakoko Patea present a folk song, clad in traditional dry grass skirts and noken bags
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span class="inline inline-center">In costume: Women singers of Iyakoko Patea present a folk song, clad in traditional dry grass skirts and noken bags. Members of the choir change outfits to reflect the different tribes who wrote the songs to be sung.
The Iyakoko Patea (IP) choir from Timika, located in the nation's easternmost province, has been performing Papuan folk songs to acclaim both in Indonesia and abroad.
The choir, which takes its name from the Amungme-Kamoro language, was established in 2006 with 50 members, most of whom had no voice training and could not read music.
'Mostly, they are working as employees with a keenness to hone and channel their new hobby as singers,' said conductor and co-founders Maradong Simanjuntak after a recent performance.
Simanjuntak described the choir's creation as difficult. 'It was a long process and took patience to hone and formulate their singing abilities. As a first step, they were just introduced to a series of sounds, tones, harmonies and dynamics.'
The hard work has paid off, he adds.
'A lot of people are attracted to join the Iyakoko Patea Choir because they have watched firsthand while watching performances in various events,' Simanjuntak says. 'They watched how the Iyakoko Patea presented 20 typical folk songs of Papua with alluring professional rhythm accompanied by dynamic movements in accordance with the distinctive culture of Papua.'
Simanjuntak, who studied under Katamsi Aning, Ronal Pohan, Aida Swenson Simanjuntak and Catherine Leimena, said that the songs were typically accompanied by dances inspired by the animals of the province.
The songs touch traditional topics. The Amungme folk song 'Amungme Ih', for instance, is a plea to God and people for peace and harmony, while the choir also performs the Kamoro folk song 'Nuru ai pa ni', a song of desperately longing for home and family.
The movements and dances sometimes imitate or evoke the flapping wings of a bird of paradise, the spearing of fish, the cutting of trees, or the rowing of boats.
Sometimes, the choir imitates the movements of the rocking hips of a cassowary; other times they present the tup ritual of the Amungme people of Timika, running while dancing and circling, accompanied by shouts to symbolize a call to come together and give encouragement.
Ferdinand Deda, from Sentani, Papua, is one of the choir's coordinators as well as a co-founder.
He said that the men's and women's clothing differed, while headdresses reflected the peoples of the coast and the mountains.
Adorning headdresses with feathers from birds of paradise was typical of the coastal areas, while those of mountainous regions chose cassowary bird feathers.
'In addition, the neck and chest ornaments are also different. Neck and chest ornaments are made of large and small shells, and there are also parts of birds such as feathers, nails and beaks, and colorful beads,' said Ferdinand.
The choir also practiced different body painting rituals.
For songs of the Kamoro, who come from coastal areas, fish and marine motif are used; while Biak songs need white, red and black motifs and Amungme songs call for earth tones.
When singing and dancing they also always wear waist ornaments, with some of the women donning tassel skirts made of dry grass or dry bark, while the men would wear koteka penis sheaths while singing the folk song of the Amungme.
While singing, they dance holding spears and shields that are carved from wood.
Simanjuntak said that audiences were responsive. 'It's like [finding] a new food that is tasty or seeing exciting new fashions. Of course, people are very fascinated and amazed. This truly happened when we performed in Jakarta, Singapore, and even Latvia.'
While the choir performed at the APEC Women's Summit in Bali in 2013, Simanjuntak says the most unforgettable experience was when the group was invited to the World Choir Games in Riga, Latvia.
'We obtained the gold medal in the category of folk songs,' he said. 'At the same time, we also gained a silver medal for mixed chamber choir. At least 25,000 spectators watched IP's performance, and even it was broadcast live TV.'
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Photos courtesy of Iyakoko Patea
