Please share us with yours!Halo again my friends! This week, we're continuing our visit in West Sumatra, one of the many Indonesian islands and home to your favorite cuddly sun bear, me! Today, I'm going to write a little about West Sumatra's culture, an important celebration and games.
Photo Above By Marc-Antoine Dunais [CC BY-SA 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons
In West Sumatra, most people are from the Minangkabau culture, the world's largest matrilineal culture. Matrilineal means that their family names are passed down from the mother, and new husbands usually move into their wife's family home. Family homes here are called rumah gadang, which basically translates to "big house", and they have stylish curved roofs that look like buffalo horns!
Education is very important to the Minangkabau people, and they tend to earn very high-level positions in business and government across Asia. When not studying, kids here like to play games with their friends just like you, including marbles and "Bekel", a game very similar to "Jacks". Check out this site for more games and descriptions.
Photo Above By Michael J. Lowe [CC BY-SA 2.5], via Wikimedia Commons
Indonesian Independence Day
Because West Sumatra is a part of Indonesia, I wanted to tell you a little about the Indonesian Independence Day celebrations. They are held mainly in Jakarta, the Indonesian capital city, and take place on August 17th to celebrate their independence from the Netherlands in 1945.
Preparations for the celebration usually begin two to three weeks in advance. The city is covered in red and white Indonesian flags, banners and lighted designs. Schools hold contests to see which classroom can be decorated the most patriotic, while also competing in races and games. Many people come together, young and old, to do shared work and clean up their neighborhoods, recycle and repaint their homes.
Photo Above By sbamueller (Flickr: [1]) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
The ceremonies begin with the flag hoisting that takes place at the Istana Merdeka (State Palace). This ceremony-led by the president and vice president-is very important to the people of Indonesia, showing honor and respect for their flag and country. High school marching students are chosen from all over the country to put on an exciting show as the flag is being hoisted. Then the games begin, including sack races, palm tree climbing, and my favorite: kerupuk, the cracker-eating contest where the cracker is dangling from a wiggling wire and you have to eat it without using your hands! There is lots of good food, music, dancing and fireworks! It's such a magical day!!
There is also Wayang puppet theater, which is a popular form of storytelling that uses puppets to tell stories of heroes and adventure, and about right and wrong. The puppets are ornately decorated, even though the stories are usually told using only the puppet's shadows!
Kerupuk Contest Photo By Rudi Ardiansyah Photo (Left) By Flickr: Ayo habiskan kerupuknya de..) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Independence Day Carnival Photo (Middle) By Yan Arief Purwanto from Yogyakarta, Indonesia (IMG_9328) [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
Wayang Shadow Puppet Photo By Sentausa (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0] or [GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons
Make Your Own Wayang Puppet
There are many resources out there if you want to learn more about traditional wayang puppetry, including this blog that allows you to print out a popular character named "Arjuna".
For you though, I've put together a special print out for my readers, a Joy Sun Bear Wayang puppet! Just ask your parent or teacher fo their help to print the document on some card stock. Your can then color it any way you want, and cut it out to put it together using paper fasteners, tape, and some wooden dowels or skewers.
Here's a tip: Use paper fasteners for the hands so the skewers will have more freedom to move around (as shown in the last image below).
Feel free to use your imagination and create whatever version of Joy Sun Bear is in your heart!
Photos of Joy Sun Bear Wayang Shadow Puppet Above By Joy Sun Bear, Inc. (www.joysunbear.com)
When you're done, I'd love to see what you created and how much fun you had! What kind of adventures will you take your Wayang Joy Sun Bear on? Please ask your parent, guardian or teacher to send me an email at [email protected] with your pictures and feedback. I would love to share your adventures and artwork with my other friends! I can't wait to hear from you!
Have fun and selamat tinggal friends!
Your Friend,
Joy Sun Bear
Author: joysunbear
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