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Song in the Sumatran Highlands

Place: Pasaman

Pasaman is a kabupaten in the rantau in the northeastern corner of West Sumatra, bordering both North Sumatra and Riau. "Pasaman" is Minangkabau for "persamaan," meaning equality, because this was a region where Minangkabau people and Mandailing people cohabited.

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Song: "Ratok Bonjo" 15 This song is named after the place, the nagari Bonjo. plain 2021-06-30T22:49:48+00:00
Alternative Title: "Bonjo"
Translation of Title: "Ratok of Bonjo." This song is named after the place, the region of Bonjo.
Composer: Unknown.
Type of song: Satangah Tiang (Others noted this as ratok.)
Place affiliations: The town of Bonjo.
- Kabupaten: Pasaman.
- Darek or Rantau: Rantau.
Source: Te E's List of Songs.
Place: Rantau In the Tambo Alam Minangkabau, the Minangkabau region is divided into two main parts: the darek and the rantau. The rantau includes areas of migration outside the darek, including both the areas along the coastal plains (the contemporary kabupaten of Pasaman Barek, Padang Pariaman, and Pasisia Salatan) and areas in the highlands outside the darek (the contemporary kabupaten of Pasaman, Sijunjuang, Solok, Solok Selatan, and Dharmasraya).

Historically, the boundaries of the rantau include lands now part of other provinces, including North Sumatra, Riau, and Jambi. Sometimes, when people say the "rantau" they include all the areas in which people identifying as Minangkabau reside, including areas throughout the Indonesian archipelago and even beyond.
Contexts for Saluang Performance 9 This page explains various contextual factors for saluang performances image_header 2021-09-02T01:09:26+00:00
This page outlines a range of contextual factors that all have a hand in shaping the way a performance unfolds.
What
Saluang performances are held in association with a wide variety of events, ranging from events hosted by families to those hosted by communities or institutions. All the events at which saluang is found have a celebratory nature: the music enhances a sense of festivity and sociability.
- Life cycle events, especially weddings and circumcisions
- Community celebrations, such as fundraisers, halal-bihalal
- Bagurau Lapiak
When
Saluang performances are more common at certain times of the year than others. While Indonesia adheres to the Gregorian calendar for official business, the Islamic calendar equally structures the passage of time in Minangkabau society. Saluang performances won't be found at all during the holy month of Ramadan, when it is not appropriate to hold celebrations of any kind. As the most popular time for weddings and circumcisions is the month following Ramadan, saluang performances are the most frequent then. Jennifer deliberately designed her plan for fieldwork around this calendar. The patina of religiosity lingers through Lebaran and in the week or two afterwards, which does have some influence on the participation in and modesty at saluang performances. Finally, families and communities hosting events might give some consideration to season, whether it is the rainy or dry season. The dry season is better for hosting events held outside with strong attendance. The weather, however, has been less predictable with climate change. In summary, the following are important temporal factors that structure the ways events unfold:
- The year: performances were different in 2003-2004 vs. 2015-2016
- The month, particularly according to the Islamic calendar
- The season: dry or wet, which will affect people's ability to travel.
Where
Saluang performances occur wherever there is a sizable Minang population. The location where an event is held is very influential on the way an event will unfold, in part structuring to some extent the performers who are invited and the pagurau who attend, but also for the repertoire that might be requested. Historically, Bukittinggi was considered the "center" for saluang, with many performers in residence there. Over time, however, Payokumbuah became the center: many performers are now located in or near Payokumbuah.

The broadest distinction with regard to location is between events held in the darek vs. the rantau, including areas of the rantau beyond the borders of West Sumatra. The specific luak is another factor, as is the specific nagari, particularly if there are songs affiliated with it. A performance held in Luak Agam is likely to have some differences from one held in Luak Limo Puluah Koto. Both will have differences from a performance held in areas of the rantau, such as Solok or Pasaman. Those performances held beyond the province would be different yet again. The best singers, like Te E, have stories of traveling to neighboring provinces in Sumatra, including Riau, Jambi, Bengkulu, North Sumatra; to Jakarta and other parts of Java; and to parts of Malaysia. I've never attended a saluang performance in the rantau so I can't speak to how they are structured, but I wonder if people don't request the most classic songs, the songs closely associated with their hometowns. Finally, events held in urban centers are likely different from those in more rural locales. This factor is probably most influential on the participants, generating greater attendance closer to population centers. But it is not the only consideration. If a very famous singer will be singing in a more rural location, like Te E in Suayan (about 2 hours one direction by motorbike from Payokumbuah), pacandu are willing to travel.

Another factor that plays into the way performances unfold are the physical spaces in which they are located. There is a difference if they are held in a home or in a communal space, the inside of a house or in the yard. When they are held in communal spaces, are these regular gathering spaces for community events, a public marker, a specially-built cafe or road side stall? Are the guests seated at tables and chairs, on rows of chairs, mats on the floor, or must they stand?
Who
Who is hosting a saluang performance has a strong hand in shaping it, including the choice of performers, the choice of saluang styles, and so on. These factors include whether the host is an individual/ family, a community, or an institution. The economic capital of the host affects the budget for an event, which is turn might affect the style of saluang and the physical set up. The performances with the lowest budget, for example, are least likely to have seating or snacks for the pagurau (see Performance: Suayan, August 1, 2015 vs. Performance: Batu Balang, July 17, 20160. The religious values of the hosts--the relative piety--will affect the presence or absence of porno lyrics. The performers and pagurau will be more modest if they know a host is more devout. If a host is a known pacandu, then the event will be of a different quality, have different songs, and/or different interactions between performers and pagurau or among pagurau than if the host is less familiar with the scene.
Economics of performance
How a performance is structured relatively to economics shapes its structure. The most important distinction here is whether
- Performers are contracted in advance for the event: they are paid some uang muka ("face money," an advance) at the time they are contracted and the remainder at the performance. This can be the case even if the performance is functioning as a fundraiser, where all funds contributed for the honor of making requests goes to the designated cause.
- Performers need to generate their own income, working for tips and a share of the evening's takings (see bagurau lapiak).
Summary
In short, each event is completely unique and the conditions are not replicable.
Song: "Pasaman Ilia" 6 This song is named after the place, the kabupaten Pasaman. plain 2021-06-30T22:38:17+00:00
Translation of Title: "Ilia" means "downstream." "Pasaman" in the title refers to the place, Pasaman, though could also be used to refer to the style of song. Martis told me that it's like someone from downstream Pasaman, a region of Pasaman, humming.
Composer: Unknown.
Type of song: Satangah Tiang.
Genre of origin: Dendang Pasaman.
Place affiliations: This sone is named for the place, Pasaman. There are now two kabupaten called Pasaman: Pasaman and Pasaman Barek.
- Kabupaten: Pasaman.
- Darek or Rantau: Rantau.
Source: Te E's List of Songs.
Description: According to Martis, the pantun should be about Pasaman.
Song: "Ratok Pasaman" 5 This song is named after the place, the region/ kabupaten of Pasaman. plain 2021-06-29T22:39:03+00:00
Translation of Title: "Ratok of Pasaman." This song is named after the place, the region of Pasaman, which includes both kabupaten Pasaman and Pasaman Barek.
Composer: Unknown.
Type of song: Satangah Tiang (Pak Ketua noted this as gembira.)
Place affiliations: There are now two kabupaten called Pasaman: Pasaman and Pasaman Barek.
- Kabupaten: Pasaman.
- Darek or Rantau: Rantau.
Source: Te E's List of Songs.
Song: "Bonjo Lamo" 4 This song is named after the place, the nagari Bonjo. plain 2021-06-25T00:08:22+00:00
Translation of Title: "Lamo" means "long (time)," "Bonjo" is inserted in the title to indicate the song's affiliation with a specific place, the town of Bonjo. "Bonjo Lamo" means "the Bonjo song of long ago."
Composer: Unknown.
Type of song: Satangah Tiang.
Place affiliations: The town of Bonjo.
- Kabupaten: Pasaman.
- Darek or Rantau: Rantau.
Song: "Simpang Ampek" 3 This song is affiliated with the place, the Kabupaten Pasaman. plain 2020-11-05T01:08:41+00:00
Translation of Title: "The Four Crossroads." This title might refer to a place, a specific intersection.
Composer: Unknown.
Type of song: Satangah Tiang.
Place affiliations:
- Kabupaten: Pasaman.
- Darek or Rantau: Rantau.
Source: Te E's List of Songs, Mardjani's List of Songs.