The Wanar dance and Onotan Sarawandan or the song of sadness are folklore originated from Banda Ely Village in Kai Islands, Southeast Maluku, Indonesia. It tells the story, memory as well as the neglected history of the murderous humanitarian disaster of Dutch colonial violence in the island. in 1621 which killed 10000 indigenous people, The remaining hundreds were women who were then taken to Batavia to be enslaved by the colonial master. The 1700 women who survived from banda genocide and went to Kei Island then preserved that collective memory in onotan sarawandan and wanar dance. This study aims to reveal how Banda Ely women speak through Wanar dance. Applying postcolonial theory this study was conducted through qualitative approach observation and interview was used as data collection. Observations were carried out during the Spice Route Cultural Muhibah initiated by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology in 2022, where the dance was performed at Mini Palace, Banda Neira. Interviews were conducted with the dancers, show crew and the locals. It was revealed that this event succeeded in resurfacing the collective memory of the Wandan people 401 years after they had left their ancestral land as a result of the 1621 Banda Genocide.

Authors:
Ramdani Rachmat, Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia
Vissia Ita Yulianto, Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia
Gabriel Roosmargo Lono Lastoro Simatupang, Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia

About the Presenter(s)
Dr Ramdani Rachmat is Magister Student in Performing Arts and Visual Arts Studies Gadjah Mada University, Indonesia.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Thursday Schedule

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