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Song in the Sumatran Highlands

Place: Sariak Laweh

Sariak Laweh in nagari in Kecamatan Akabiluru Kabupaten Limopuluah Koto. "Sariak" is a type of bamboo with fine stems, "laweh" is wide, so we can imagine wide swaths of this type of bamboo.

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Performance: Sariak Laweh, July 25, 2016 20 Malam Bagurau image_header 2021-05-12T19:13:22+00:00 -0.22432, 100.5288 07/25/2016
Date: July 25-26, 2016
Time: 10p.m.-3.15a.m.
Place: Sariak Laweh

Style: This performance was unique of those I attended in 2016 as it included a range of musical styles, much to the surprise of Te E, who had specifically invited Pak Ketua and I to the performance. She had anticipated that it would only be saluang klasik, as she declined invitations to performances where the style would be what she called "campua adok" (all mixed up).

The three styles here include:
- Saluang klasik: this is the main style discussed in this project.
- Saluang orgen: instrumentation and songs from saluang klasik combined with the use of an orgen (the local term used for synthesizer)
- Orgen: this refers to a line-up of singer/s with orgen. The songs are typically from local pop genres and not from the saluang repertoire.
Occasion: Malam Bagurau for a Wedding. In this case, the music was the night time entertainment, after a long day of receiving guests.

Set up: A stage was set up next to the house, with tables and chairs set out under a canopy. Some pagurau chose to stand on the sides, in the adjacent rice paddies.

Performers:
- Padendang:
  - Te E
  - Si Sri
  - Ika
- Tukang Saluang: Kamarudin
- Orgen: Warlan, 1994 graduate of ASKI (now ISI).
- Janang: None. It is customary to not have a janang at a wedding.
Audience: At the beginning of the evening, the audience was mixed gender. But as the night progressed, the women went home and the men were left. I estimated about 150 people at the peak.

Ethnographers: Jennifer & Pak Ketua
Attendance: We were there for the entirety of the performance, from the opening with "Singgalang Induak" packing up as the singers launched into "Jalu-Jalu."
Notes:
Rendition: "Suayan Maik Ka Turun" 07/25/2016 12 "Suayan Maik Ka Turun" performed at Malam Bagurau, Sariak Laweh. plain 2021-08-04T22:45:53+00:00
Song: "Suayan Maik Ka Turun"
Performance: Sariak Laweh, July 25, 2016
Context: Malam Bagurau for a wedding
Style: Saluang klasik
Type of Song: Ratok
People:
- Padendang:
  - Te E
  - Si Sri
  - Ika
- Tukang Saluang: Kamarudin
- Tukang Orgen: Warlan
Duration: 4.14

Structure: This version has 3 pantun. The first pantun has just 2 lines for each half, repeating the last line in each half to make it fit the melodic shape. The second and third pantun have 3 lines in each half.
Lyrics:
Pantun #1: Te E
Batang
Minangkabau
Di baliak bukik Sarang Alang
Suayan di tapi rimbo x2
Indonesian
Dibalik bukit Sarang Elang
Suayan di tapi hutan
English
Behind the hill Sarang Alang
Suayan is by the side of the forest
Isi
Minangkabau
Pambaleh jaso rang nan hilang
Siang-siangi pusaronyo
Indonesian
Mengingat orang yang sudah meninggal
Bersihkan juga kuburan.
English
Recalling people who have passed away
Clean up the grave sites.
Interpretation of Pantun 1
Type of Pantun: Pantun nasehat
Batang: The batang mentions specific places and Suayan's placement by the side of the forest. The two places referenced attach the song firmly to Suayan.
Isi: The isi is considered to cover nasehat: remember your loved ones and take care of their graves. The content is also directly linked with the song title. This is an example of a pantun baku affiliated with this specific song as it should always be used in this song.
Pantun #2: Si Sri
Batang
Minangkabau
Sariak Laweh Koto Malintang
Tibo kian Sungai Balantiak
Ai "Suayan" kami ka nyanyikan
Indonesian
Sariak Laweh, Koto Malintang
Sebelah sana lagi Sungai balantiak
Oi, "Suayan" lagu kami akan nyanyikan.
English
Sariak Laweh, Koto Malintang
On the other side there is Sungai Balantiak
Oh, “Suayan” this is the song we’ll sing
Isi
Minangkabau
Adang-adang badan den pulang
Taserak tangih turun naik
Nan kontan bana nan tak ado.
Indonesian
Sering pulang ke rumah
Menanggis mask ke rumah, turun dari rumah
karena urang yg dikasihi tidak ada lagi.
English
Come home often (to one's kampung)
Crying when going in and out of the house
Because those who are loved are all gone.
Interpretation of Pantun 2
Type of Pantun: pantun parasaian.
Batang: The batang is largely about places, including those that one must pass through on the road from Payokumbuah to Suayan, including Sariak Laweh, Koto Malintang, and Sungai Balantiak. As is typical of batang, there is also a reference to the title of the song that will be delivered, though rather than the full title it is simply "Suayan." This is the third line of the pantun, an additional line to the two lines delivered in the first pantun by Te E.
Isi: This isi is about homecoming and loss encountered after being away.

Pantun #3: Ika
Batang
Minangkabau
Rang Canduang di ma balai den
Di baliak balai si Fatima
Di bawa kayu nan rondok
Indonesian
Urang Canduang di mana balai
Di balik balai si Fatima
Di bawah pohon yang besar
English
The person from Canduang asks where the balai (hall) is
Behind the balai of Fatima
Beneath the big tree
Isi
Minangkabau
Rang kampuang di ma mandeh den
Nan den silau indak di rumah
Janjang rabah pintu basaok.
Indonesian
Urang kampung di mana itu saya
Yang saya lihat dia tidak dalam rumah
Jenjang rusak, pinti ditutup.
English
People from the village, where is my mother?
I see she is not in her house
The steps have disintegrated, the door is closed.

Interpretation of Pantun 3
As we listened to the recording of this rendition, Pak Ketua anticipated the isi, saying this batang is coupled with the isi in this case, suggesting the whole pantun is a pantun baku.
Type of Pantun: pantun parasaian.
Batang: The batang makes a reference to place, interestingly a place further away from Suayan and neighboring nagari referenced in the first two pantun.
Isi: The sense of sadness and loss is extremely strong in this isi. This text implies that a man has come home after a long time, to find the house all abandoned and his mother deceased.
Summary
Content: This rendition featured pantun baku strongly affiliated with this specific song. Two of the three pantun were parasaian, connected with loss, including connection to place and death of love ones. This is fitting not only for a ratok but this specific title connected with burying a loved one.
Sense of Place: In each of the batang, specific places were mentioned, most of them connected with Suayan and neighboring areas.
Song: "Sariak Laweh" 3 This song is named for the place, the nagari Sariak Laweh. plain 2020-11-05T01:26:33+00:00
Translation of Title: This song is named for the place, the nagari Sariak Laweh.
Composer: Unknown.
Type of song: Ratok.
Place affiliations:
- Nagari: Sariak Laweh.
- Kecamatan: Akabiluru.
- Luak: Limopuluah Koto.
- Darek or Rantau: Darek.
Source: Mardjani's List of Songs.