SPIRITUALITY OF SALUANG SIROMPAK MUSIC 
IN TAEH BARUAH COMMUNITY, MINANGKABAU
Nil Ikhwan

Faculty of Performing Art

Indonesia Institute of Arts Surakarta

email: nilikhwan@yahoo.com
ABSTRACT


Saluang sirompak is a type of music which has spiritual strength and is performed at Taeh Baruah, Payakumbuh District, Lima Puluh Koto Regency, Minangkabau, West Sumatra. It is performed to bewitch a girl who has humiliated a young man who would like to propose her. This activity is called Basirompak. The Saluang Sirompak  performed in Basirompak is supported by what is called gasiang tangkurak, a chant sung with magic formula and an offering. It is performed at one of the seven tanjungs around Taeh Baruah. The problems of the study are formulated as follows. (1) What is the spirituality of the saluang sirompak music performed at Taeh Baruah, Minangkabau like? (2) What is the spiritual function of the saluang sirompak music performed at Taeh Baruah, Minangkabau?, and (3) what is the meaning and implication of the spirituality of the saluang sirompak music on the customs and traditions and religion of the Taeh Baruah community, Minangkabau? The theory of Deconstruction supported by the theory of Aesthetics and the theory of Semiotics was used in the present study. The data were qualitatively analyzed. 

It was found that the spirituality of the saluang sirompak music caused the people’s mentality and attitude to change. The fact that the activity of Basirompak had never been performed for the last three decades proved this. That indicates that the people living at Taeh Baruah and around it were aware that they should be polite, behave well and have good character, and solve problems, especially the problems related to the friendship between a girl and a young man, amicably.
Keywords: spirituality, saluang sirompak, and basirompak
INTRODUCTION


The life background of the Minang people in West Sumatra has caused the Saluang Sirompak music to be part of the tradition and culture of Taeh Baruah community. This art of music involves the cultural activity which is still performed by the Minang people until now, especially by those living at Taeh Baruah, a small village in West Sumatra. The musical instruments used in the saluang sirompak play important roles in this cultural activity. It has spiritual values and is performed at Taeh Baruah Village and involves a series of spiritual ceremonies. It is basically used to bewitch a girl who acts impolitely to the young man who would like to propose her. From the other side, the girl can be stated to be wrong and can be the target of the cultural activity Basirompak. It is also performed as an amusement. 

The present study was conducted at Taeh Baruah Village, as it is the only village which still performs the saluang sirompak music as part of the Basirompak cultural activity involving a cultural event. In this case, the cultural event which is intended is the mistake in the form of impolite words uttered by a girl to a young man who is extremely frustrated. Being frustrated, the young man then asks the actors of the Basirompak for a favor to bewitch the girl so that she will be seriously mad about him as he does not intend to live together with the girl as a family. The Basirompak also involves the saluang sirompak instruments and gasiang tangkurak such as someone who chants a song, someone who reads the clauses of Al Qur’an, a series of offerings, and a special place of performance referred to as “tanjuang/tanjung”. 

Based on what was described above, the problems of the present study are as follows: what is the spirituality of the saluang sirompak music like; what is the spiritual function of the saluang sirompak music, and what is the meaning of the saluang sirompak music to and its impact on the customs and traditions and religion of the Taeh Baruah community, Minangkabau. This present study was intended to understand in depth the form of the spirituality of the saluang sirompak music, its spiritual function, and its meaning to and its implication on the customs and traditions and religion of the Taeh Baruah community, Minangkabau. This present study was expected to enrich and widen the scientific insight of the cultural studies. In addition, it was also expected to help people understand the cultural phenomenon especially the spirituality of the saluang sirompak music. 
RESEARCH METHOD


This present study focuses on the phenomenon of the spirituality of the saluang sirompak music which is performed at Taeh Baruah Village, Minangkabau. The application of a scientific method to the practice of research needs a research design which is in accordance with the condition and what is explored. The present study was designed starting from the researcher’s interest in the object which was explored. After being interested in the object which was explored, the researcher searched for the supporting data from books, articles, journals, magazines and internet. This is what is referred to as library research. An interview guide was used in the preset study to collect the data. It was supported by a digital camera, a tape recorder, and a handy cam. The technique of interview used in the present study was the free and guided interview technique. Moleong (1989: 2-12) stated that in the free interview, the informants are free to answer various questions without any binding things which can cause the informants to be inflexible. In this present study, the informants included the actors of the Basirompak cultural activity, the community figures, the village leaders, the traditional leaders, the religious leaders, the victim who was also the witness, the proposing witness, and several people who were highly knowledgeable of the Basirompak cultural activity performed at Taeh Baruah. 


The data were analyzed by systematically formulating the results of the observation and interview, and the information obtained from the documents. The data were descriptively and qualitatively analyzed while the study was being conducted through the following stages; data reduction, data presentation, data interpretation, and conclusion drawing. 

DISCUSSION  

The term saluang sirompak, as discussed in the Introduction section, is made up of two words; they are saluang and sirompak. Boestanoel Arifin Adam (1980: 97) stated thar Sirompak is derived from the word “si” and the word “rompak”. The word “si” means the actor of an activity, as exemplified by the word ‘si-pemukul’ (someone who hits another), “si-penggesek” (someone who rubs something), and the word “si-peniup” (someone who blows something). The word “rompak” means opening. In this case, the word “rompak” does not mean “merombak” (tearing something down) but “membuka hati seseorang yang masih tertutup” (opening someone’s heart which is still close) in love affairs. The term Basirompak is derived from the word “ba” and the word “Sirompak”. The word “ba’ means doing or carrying out something, and the word “sirompak”, which then becomes a derivational form “Basirompak”, as stated above, means a spiritual activity using the Saluang Sirompak as the instrument to bewitch a girl so that she will go “mad”.

In the Basirompak cultural activity, the instruments used consist of the saluang sirombak, gasiang tangkuak, and chants (dendang) containing magic formula as the main element in the Basirompak activity, although the other elements cannot be separated from one another. As far as this performance is concerned, the one which is performed as an entertainment is different from the one which is performed to punish a girl for having humiliated the young man who would like to propose her. If it is performed as part of the Basirompak cultural activity, it is performed at one of the Tanjungs available at Taeh Baruah; however, if it is performed as an entertainment, the place where it is performed is adjusted to the place prepared by the consumers.

The Saluang Sirompak music is performed for two things; it is performed to bewitch a girl so that she will go mad as part of the Basirompak cultural activity and it is also performed as an entertainment. The current reality shows that the Saluang Sirompak is not only performed to bewitch a girl, but it is also performed as an amusement. As an entertainment, it is usually performed, for example, for the anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Indonesia, art festival, and other programs as a complement. In the Basirompak cultural activity, each sound or intonation produced by the saluang sirompak, which is supported by the spirits that wait for the holes from which the sounds are produced and consists of the souls of those who are already dead and gins. They can easily influence the victim. The magic formulas, whether they are the main ones or the appealing ones, also support the spirituality of the saluang sirompak music. The appealing magic formula consists of 33 couplets and the main ones consist of 6 couplets. 

The spirituality of the saluang sirompak as the space for the kesenian anak nagari in Minangkabau and at the same time as the art of spirituality of the Taeh Baruah community is not homogenous in nature; several parts which are qualitatively different are interrupted and transformed. The Basirompak cultural activity has given its answers using its spiritual strengths. It has evidenced that whoever has made a mistake, as far as it is related to the relation between a girl and a young man, will be punished through the Basirompak cultural activity. The spirituality of the saluang sirompak music, as part of the Basirompak cultural activity, is related to the Sabana’s opinion that several relevant elements such as souls should be involved. The practice of the Spirituality of the Saluang Sirompak music also involves the God’s creatures that reside in another world such as gins and bad spirits as the partners of the actors who are involved in the Basirompak cultural activity to detect the victim’s position, to see to what extent the victim has made the mistake, and to make the victim go mad and so forth. 

It is necessary to underline that such spirituality appears after the Basirompak activity is performed. Although it needs a very long time, the local people, both the supporting and main actors of the saluang sirompak music, obtain something. From the point of view of those who perform the Basirompak cultural activity, they are able to change the behavior and politeness of the people who used to show that they were highly regarded in the community. However, it will be meaningless if one of their family members is the victim of the Basirombak cultural activity; they will not be highly regarded any longer. Now the people are becoming more polite in their behavior; as a result, the things which may lead to the performance of the Basirombak activity will not appear any longer at Taeh Baruah and around it. 

In the present study, it was found that the spirituality of the saluang sirompak music, as part of the Basirompak cultural activity, has caused the people to change their attitude and morality. The fact that the Basiromak activity had not been performed for three decades proved this. That indicated that the Taeh Baruah community and the villages around it were aware that they should have good character and behave politely; they should solve the problems they may have amicably, especially the problems which are related to the friendship  between a girl and a young man. 

CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

Viewed from how the saluang sirompak is performed at Taeh Baruah, a change has taken place; it has been used as part of the Basirompak activity which has the spiritual strength to bewitch a girl who has made a mistake. It is performed for girls. The implication is that the Basirompak cultural activity has not been a scaring thing for the girls who always become its target; the Taeh Baruah community is proud of having such a cultural activity; therefore, it is still maintained until now. The finding of the present study was that the spirituality of the saluang sirompak music caused the people’s attitude and mentality to change. The fact that the Basirompak activity had not been performed for three decades proved this. That indicated that the Taeh  Baruah community and the villages around it were already aware that they should have good character and behave politely; they should solve the problems they may have, especially the problems which are related to the friendship between girls and young men, amicably. 

It is suggested to the Taeh Baruah people that they should maintain the spirituality of the Basirompak activity and do their best not to use the spirituality of the Basirompak activity incorrectly.  It is suggested to the observers of arts that they should help the Taeh Baruah people maintain the existence of the saluang sirompak music which is classified as scarce by documenting the repertoire of the songs they have. It is also suggested to the Government of Lima Puluh Koto Regency and the related institutions that they should formally protect the actors involved in the Basirompak cultural activity at Taeh Baruah.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This present study would not have been completed without any support from various parties. Therefore, in this opportunity, the writer would like to thank the supervisors for their guidance, supervision, direction and input for the completion of this dissertation. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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