Bulu Londong Dance of Mamuju Regency, West Sulawesi Province

Of all the traditional dances that belong to Mamuju Regency, Bulu Bodong Dance is considered the most festive one. Not only the dance is beautiful, but it also historical! No wonder, tourists are likely to look for the event and watch it directly when visiting the region. In the past, the locals performed the dance in order to celebrate the victory of a war. These days, though, it has become a tradition and entertainment for both villagers and tourists! As people may expect, the dance involves several war moves and it is performed only by male dancers.

The Nuance
As mentioned before, Bulu Lodong Dance only consists of male dancers. This explains why the moves look powerful instead of graceful. There is one person who leads the dance and he wears a distinct costume color as well. Still, all these dancers may wear the traditional war costume (which was used for fighting in the past). The ornaments include leafy accessories and several weapons like a spear and sword. One of the dancers even carries a head of a doll! The locals have changed it to the head of a doll instead of using the real human head! Here is the fact. In the past, the dancers carry the head of the enemy’s head as the symbol of victory.

Exploring Bulu Londong Dance
There is a significant difference between the old and new Bulu Londong Dance. In the past, the dancers may carry the beheaded head of a human while performing the dance. These days, the locals don’t do such a scary thing anymore. The fact is the war is over and no tourists want to see that creepy dance, after all. This explains why the dancers replace it with a mannequin’s head or a doll head in order to retain the tradition and eradicate the dark side of the dance.

The movements are bold powerful and bold, as the dance is performed by male dancers. It is said those people are the descendants of the local warriors! Aside from such fierce moves, the dance also comes with a beautiful musical accompaniment. Thanks to the musicians. They play various types of instruments especially the local drums called Gendang. Also, in the midst of the dance, a person read a poem while the dance and the music stop. Once the reading ends, both the music and dance continue.

As for tourists, Bulu Londong Dance becomes an important entertainment that they must watch during a visit to Mamuju Regency. As for the locals, the dance has become the part of their culture without a doubt. In fact, it is considered rare as not many villagers are able to perform it perfectly. Thus, no one should overlook the value of it!

Nearby Attractions

• So’do River
• Manakarra Beach
• Tammasapi Waterfall
• Tapandullu Beach
• Karampuang Island

How to Get There
For the best experience, tourists should visit Mamuju Regency to watch Bulu Londong Dance directly. If they come from Jakarta City, they can take an airplane at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport and head to Tampa Padang Airport in Mamuju City. This flight takes approximately 4 hours and 35 minutes, actually. Later, once arriving at Mamuju, tourists can simply visit a nearby village to find out the schedule of the performance.

Where to Stay

• M City Hotel
• Pantai Indah Hotel
• Srikandi Hotel
• Mamuju Beach Hotel