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THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF SULAWESI DANCING

From the point of view of social structure, Indonesian dances have generally undergone the same course of development. In the period of Primitive Society dances in the whole of Indonesia were simple in form, sacred or holy and magic in nature.

it is not suprising that in the development of dancing South and Central Sulawesi have more varieties.
Sulawesi dances in the period of Feudal Society can be divided into two groups: cotirt-dnnces and dances of tht common people. Each group can be resubdivided into two groups: ceremonial dances and secular or profance dances.

COURT DANCES

Among the court-dances in Sulawesi, the best known is the Pajaga Dance from South Sulawesi. It is a court-dance for women and can be compared with the srimpi and bedaya in Central Java and the legong dance in Bali. The Pajaga Dance is danced by twelve girls, each dancer wearing a silk Bugis sarong and a baju rawang, a transparent jacket. Usually the Pajaga dancers are girls of twelve to fifteen years of age. On her right shoulder each wears a large scarf. The accompanying music consists of two drums and the dancers sing while they dance.

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In South Sulawesi there is also a Pajaga Dance danced by twelve men. Of course the costumes and the form of dancing are very different from the women's Pajaga Dance. Each dancer wears a jacket and sarong and the large scarf is fastened round the waist. Also each wears a fan.

The Pajaga Dance used to be performed in the palaces of South Sulawesi when the king held certain traditional ceremonies, for instance when the prince's hair was cut for the first time, or at a toothfiling ceremony.

Another popular court-dance is the Pajoge Dance. The Pajaga Dance was danced by girls of the nobility, while the Pajoge Dance was performed in palaces or mansions of the nobility by girls from among the common people. The dance was formerly entertaiment for men only. It was danced by girls wearing the same costumes as those of the Pajaga Dance, wih the ddition of a fan. The spectators, who were usually noblemen, sat in a circle or half-circle of chairs. The Pajoge dancers danced in turn. Each Pajoge, dancing alone while singing, looked for a partner among the audience to be invited to join her dancing. When she found him, she would give him a betel leaf. The man given the betel leaf then danced with the Pajoge dancer.

CEREMONIAL DANCES

Unlike the court-dances, which have development only in royal court circles, the dances of the common people of Sulawesi, most of which are religious ceremonial dances, have developed extensively. The important ceremonial dances are those performed on the occasion of death. According to the old belief of the people of Sulawesi, a man who dies does not disappear from the world, but only undergoes a division between body and soul. To preserve the body, it is mummified and then kept in a cave of a mountain rock. The spirit, or soul, will live in the world of the souls. To accompany the corpse to its permanent place in the cave of a mountain rock dances are performed to show the courage of the deceased when he was still alive. As this ceremony costs a great deal of money, only rich families can afford to hold ft.
Another very important moment in the social life of Sulawesi is harvest time. Because it is rice which feed man, dances are always held at harvest time as an expression of gratitude to God.
Besides these ceremonial dances, there are also secular or profane dances.