Perang (Caci) Dance of Sumba Island, East Nusa Tenggara Province

What makes a particular region like East Nusa Tenggara Province famous? It is true that it consists of tons of natural attractions including beaches, waterfalls, and mountains. However, tourists may find other allures including traditional dances and other cultural attractions. For instance, there is Perang or Caci Dance. “Perang” means war, actually. As people may expect, the dance involves some fierce movements representing the acts of war. For the information, it is the signature dance of Manggarai People and it is usually performed during special occasions. Not only it becomes the pride of the locals, the dance also attracts more tourists to visit East Nusa Tenggara Province over time.

The Nuance
When it comes to nuance, the atmosphere is both fun and tense. It is because the dance is only performed by a pair of male dancers who are going to compete in the fighting action. They even carry war ornaments like a shield, a whip, and a small blade. Not to mention they wear traditional Ikat Fabric of Sumba Island and a unique war mask! What about the stage? The locals may gather in an open field and perform the dance there. As for the audience, they can simply surround the dancers and watch the performance passionately.

Exploring Perang Dance
The first thing that tourists should know is indeed related to the meaning or history of the dance. In terms of name, “Ca” means one and “Ci” means a test. Overall, Caci Dance is about a one-on-one fight in order to prove who is right and who is wrong. Not to mention it has become the part of Penti Manggarai ritual for generations, so the performance has both charm and historical value. For tourists, it can be a nice entertainment to watch before visiting any tourist attractions in East Nusa Tenggara Province for sure.

Here is the next important information. Caci Dance only occurs during special occasions like local thanksgiving due to abundant crops given by the god. Some locals also perform the dance during a family reunion, which is done by Manggarai Tribe only. Thus, tourists should consider the right time to visit NTT Province if they want to watch the performance. Two recommended times are during Hang Woja (harvest season) and Penti (New Year ritual). Is that all? Villagers also often perform it when greeting important guests from other regions, actually.

Even though tourists are allowed to watch the dance freely, they should not act carelessly when enjoying the performance. At least, they must keep calm and avoid making too much noise there. Eating foods while watching the dance is allowed, but they must take care of the trash later!

Nearby Attractions

• Komodo National Park
• Kelimutu National Park
• Pink Beach
• Loh Liang
• Lasiana Beach
• Kelimutu Lake
• Wae Rebo Village
• Batu Cermin Cave
• Tarung Village
• Sirung Mountain

How to Get There
Tourists’ main destination is definitely Kupang City at East Nusa Tenggara Province. If they come from Jakarta City, they should take an airplane from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and head to El Tari Airport. For the information, the flight may take about 2 hours and 55 minutes. Once arriving at Kupang City, they can simply head to local villages where Manggarai People lives in order to watch the dance directly.

Where to Stay

• Cendana Hotel
• Pelita Hati Hotel
• Carvita Hotel
• Greenia Hotel
• Jolly Hotel
• Cahaya Bapa Hotel