Song in the Sumatran Highlands

People: List of Historical Figures

I was interested to seek information about performers in the past to understand the gendered changes in the genre, to get a sense of training and lineages, and a sense of regional affiliations. "The past" I speak of here is a relatively close past, one established through oral history and recollected memories of the oldest generation I consulted and from archival sources that exist. It ranges from the earliest part of the twentieth century through the end of the century to 1998, when I first traveled to West Sumatra. Some people I worked with during fieldwork began their careers in the mid-twentieth century, but many only in the late twentieth century. I've distinguished those that were inactive or deceased by the time my fieldwork began as "historical figures" and those active during my fieldwork "contemporary." Some, of course, straddle the two periods. Although somewhat arbitrary, it helps parse the development of the genre. 

In recreating this partial history, I have consulted several different sources: One of the most valuable sources about performers of the past I have consulted, includes Mardjani et. al.'s research report. Published in 1988, it includes interviews with key figures, consultation with them to name other performers, along with a chart that attempts to map lineage. As the authors themselves acknowledge, it is not comprehensive, but from the perspective of 2021, it provides invaluable data, a window into a world otherwise lost. I have relied on that data to re-create a very partial history of saluang in the 20th century. The genre is likely much older than that, but we have no historical record beyond this and the earliest 78 records, the first with saluang dating to 1938. 

The records in Mardjani et. al. are incomplete. We have approximate years of birth for some performers (extrapolated from estimated age at the time of publication of the research report), and a few dates of death. But for many we have nothing. There are also a few inconsistencies in names and/or roles. I have relied on the lineage chart included, labeling what seem to be generations of performers based on who trained them, more than age. The terms "1st generation," "2nd generation" etc. are mine, to help give a sense of time. I was lucky to meet and interview several of the performers of the 4th and 5th generations listed here, including Ajis St. Sati, Syamsimar, and Sawir St. Mudo.  


This page tags all those listed in this research report and other archival resources, only a few of whom I had the opportunity to meet. All of the people on the chart are tagged, but not all of the people tagged are on that chart.

The following map provides a sense of geographical distribution. Agam is strongly represented, which may suggest a bias in the research reports or reflect the strength of the region in producing performers. 

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