Lais Culture, Unique Indonesian Facts that are Rarely Known - Just Menong

Indonesia, the country that I love, has many surprising facts that are endless. Consisting of various tribes and cultures on nearly 17,000 islands, of course there are many hidden cultures and traditions that are still firmly maintained or even extinct under the times. And this is what happened to the Lais culture, one of the Sundanese cultures and attractions that is rarely talked about.

Even though I have not lost my identity as a Sundanese who is of mixed Javanese blood, there are some Sundanese cultures that I have never known until now, until I have traveled for dozens of years to another city or when I have the opportunity to serve in other areas.

arrowroot

This month I got an assignment to a city not far from Bandung, Garut, also known as Dodol City. Arrowroot has lots of typical culinary delights, such as dorokdok (skin crackers), burayot (cake made from rice flour and brown sugar), and goyobod ice (Garut-style mixed ice). Arrowroot has a center for Garut sheep, which have a lot of original Indonesian genetics and world-recognized excellence. Garut is also rich in handicrafts such as batik and bamboo tools.

Of the many unique things about the city of Garut, there is one thing that has made me amazed, namely Lais. One of my friends actually said it. Originally from Garut, I just found out that West Java has attractions and acrobatics that not everyone knows, even the Sundanese.

Voice

Lais is an acrobatic attraction that has been recognized as Indonesia's Intangible Heritage (WBTB) in 2016. Lais has been around since 1925 and comes from the name of a coconut tree climber, Laisan, who often displays interesting attractions when picking coconuts.

Different from other pickers, Laisan, just hanging on the midrib of a tree and instantly moving without having to reclimb each time, will pick coconuts on different trees.

Waiiiit...not everyone knows, right??
This typical Garut attraction is performed by a professional player who plays on a rope connected between two bamboo sticks with a height of 12–13 meters and a distance of about 6 meters. To be strong and stable, the bamboo used is planted upright in the ground, as deep as 6 meters.

Well, players are quite adept at climbing bamboo poles to reach the rope's peak.
 
Wow...exciting and exciting, isn't it?
Players can perform attractions such as swinging, walking, lying down, hanging on legs, or performing other attractions such as splitting a coconut with a machete. There is no safety device whatsoever, which of course makes the hearts of the audience pound and amazed at the same time.

Part of the Lais culture, this attraction is accompanied by reog and pencak silat beats. accompaniment The lais usually consists of 4 dogdog holders, a trumpet player, and a player whose job is to entertain the audience with his jokes.

Dexterity Action

Even though it looks tense, don't forget, this attraction is only carried out by trained and experienced professionals. Balance, dexterity, and good motor coordination are needed in order to be able to survive and be safe on the ropes.

Shows of about 45 minutes are shown frequently as entertainment at circumcisions, weddings, and others. Unfortunately, because it's still during the pandemic, I still can't watch Lais culture directly because, in order to carry out health protocols, gathering activities are prohibited to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.