reog ponorogo culture and identity

Culture and identity

In recent years Indonesia has accused Malaysia of several instances of cultural theft and appropriation. These spats are also mixed with other bilateral issues such as the mistreatment of Indonesian domestic workers in Malaysia and the regular border disputes between the two countries. However, for the people of Ponorogo, the theft of Reog was something much more personal. For them, Reog is so much more than a dance.

On the national stage, weekly Reog performances represent Ponorogo at Taman Mini, the recreation park in Jakarta which displays miniature representations of the major cultures of the archipelago. It is promoted as Ponorogo's  premier tourism drawcard. As the only art form – perhaps the only product – that can be described as uniquely Ponorogoan, it is the only way to express local identity. The great dhadak merak mask, which performers hold by biting down on a concealed wooden bar, appears on billboards, bumper stickers and in statue form throughout Ponorogo. In fact the correlation between dance and region is so strong that, in the words of Reog coach and elementary school curriculum coordinator Jarumi, ‘Ponorogo is identified with Reog, not Reog with Ponorogo!’

The attitude in Ponorogo towards Reog reflects a wider trend in Indonesia, where art forms  emerge from their traditional roles in local cultures and become a symbol for an ethnic group. This trend is strongly influenced by an understanding of culture based on its physical elements, which is promoted by sites such as Taman Mini or the representation of local cultures in school textbooks. The national motto, Unity in Diversity, is often graphically expressed as members of various ethnic groups, each in their traditional costume, standing together smiling, the diversity element reduced to fabrics and feathers. Consequently, traditional dress, dance and architecture are a means of expressing a local identity and to understand one’s place in the great national project that is Indonesia.