Holiday Ayo - Papua is an island consisting of two provinces, namely the province of Papua and the province of West Papua. Papua has around 255 indigenous tribes with different languages, customs and cultures, including different dance cultures.

One of the dances originating from the coastal areas of Papua is the Seka Dance. This dance is a traditional dance of the people in the Timika, Kaimana, and Fakfak areas.

According to Stevanus Tiwery and Dodie Tiwery, the term seka comes from the word Wneysheka which means singing and stepping, by moving the feet. Seka in everyday local language is called Sek which means soccer, kicks that all rest on the feet.

Initially, Seka Dance was present as a form of gratitude to God when the harvest was abundant and was often performed in traditional wedding processions, namely when delivering the prospective bride to the prospective groom.

In the past, Seka Dance was also used by the Kamoro tribe as a symbol of enthusiasm when going to war. In the Kaimana area, the Napiti and Miere tribes still use the Seka Dance in their daily activities, as does the Kamoro tribe in Timika.

In its development, Seka Dance turned into a social dance and sometimes performed in a welcoming ceremony.

source: biuus

Dance Movements and Accompanying Music

As cited from milaartdanceschool, the movement of the Seka Dance focuses on foot stomping, hip movements and hand waving, following Tifa's boisterous voice, twisting movements and making circles. Interspersed with shouts of command from the dance leader to change the dance movement or form. The Seka dance looks so easy, but it's quite difficult to follow the first time.

The Seka dance is accompanied by a traditional Papuan musical instrument called Tifa. Tifa is a percussion instrument shaped like a drum. At first glance, Tifa Papua's musical instrument looks similar to Tifa from Maluku. The difference in the two types of Tifa lies in the model. The typical Maluku Tifa does not have a handle, while the Papuan Tifa has a handle on the side.

Property and Dance Clothes

Usually in the show this dance has a unique costume with local customs, such as a tassel skirt and red bottoms. In addition, it is also equipped with a black tassel headdress that makes it look full of valor.