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Uniqueness of Mystical Salai Jin Dance From Ternate

Uniqueness of Mystical Salai Jin Dance From Ternate
Sharp eyes see focus ahead. Sweat dripped slowly from the face. Some people even paint their lips as if they doubt what will be done. The bare feet alternately lifted the sign that the stepped floor began to feel hot. their body seemed to be heavy before the dance began. Here they are the Salai Jin Dance dancers.

Salai Jin is a dance originating from Ternate, North Maluku. This dance is full of magical values ​​and is an ethnic dance of indigenous tribes of Ternate. the essence of this dance is a message to the supernatural beings in the form of Jinn. In the past, this dance was used by the ancestors of Ternate society to communicate with the Jinn who were in the magical world. the purpose of this communication is to ask the Jinn to help solve various problems faced by humans. One of the problems most often the reason for this dance is the illness suffered by one family member.

Usually the Salai Jin dance is indeed done in groups. There is no problem if the men do the whole, vice versa, or mix between men and women. What is certain is the number of dancers must be even to avoid things that are not desirable to happen. However, these dancer dancers will usually experience the presence of spirits in the form of Jin. This is still happening to modern times and this situation is more value than this dance.

The dancers entered the dance arena. Male groups enter the court first. they were ready to hold a place with incense that had been burned. Their steps were so organized and slowly they did mystical movements. the incense fire caused smoke to emerge in the middle of their dance, this added a magical aura to the location they danced.
The atmosphere became increasingly tense when a group of women entered and mingled in the ranks of the men. they carried a bundle of dried palm leaves (woka) in their hands as their protector from the power of evil spirits. They did movement after movement until the female dancers knelt in the midst of a group of men who held burnt incense. the women seemed to start unconscious and rotate the upper part of their bodies to the beat of the song which adds to the magical value of this dance.

This dance may not be randomly danced at first. only people who have been chosen and have the power to ward off supernatural powers alone can bring this dance. But over time, when this dance later became a tourist attraction in Ternate, this dance also underwent several modifications. burnt incense is no longer a necessity and can be replaced with ordinary charcoal from coconut shells. In addition, the clothes of the dancers have also followed a modern style with striking colors that are interesting to look at.
although the presence of Jin and the process of possessing spirits in the bodies of dancers is rare, the magical conditions are maintained with music, facial expressions, and the movements of the dancers that imply mystical things. this situation is important to defend because the dancers realize that the attraction of this dance is indeed in its slavery value. In fact, this dance is often the first choice as one of the welcoming dance when state guests come to visit Ternate.
Video from #indonesiakaya