Page 81 - E-BOOK SEJARAH DAN BUDAYA INDONESIA

There are several dialects in the Sundanese language, linguists usually distinguish six different
dialects.

Western dialects are spoken in the Banten area. The Northern dialect covers the northern
Sundanese area including the city of Bogor and some Pantura areas. Then the Southern dialect is
the Priangan dialect which includes the city of Bandung and its surroundings. Meanwhile, the
Middle East dialect is a dialect in Majalengka and Indramayu Regencies. The Northeast dialect is
a dialect around Cirebon and Kuningan, as well as in several sub-districts in Brebes and Tegal
Regencies, Central Java. And finally the Southeast dialect is the dialect around Ciamis, also in
several sub-districts in Cilacap and Banyumas Regencies, Central Java.

Art

1. The art of dance

The main dance arts in the Sundanese tribe are jaipongan dance, peacock dance, and mask
dance.

Tanah Sunda (Pasundan) is known to have a variety of unique and interesting cultures,
Jaipongan is one of the famous cultural arts of this area. Jaipongan or Jaipong Dance is actually a
modern dance because it is a modification or development of the traditional Sundanese dance,
namely Tap Tilu. This Jaipong dance is performed with a distinctive musical accompaniment,
namely degung. This music is a collection of various musical instruments such as drums, go'ong
or gongs, saron, kacapi, flute, angklung. etc. Degung can be likened to 'Orchestra' in
European/American music. The characteristic of this Jaipong Dance is its stomping music, where
the kendang instrument sounds the most prominent during the accompanying dance. This dance is
usually performed by one, in pairs or in groups. As an interesting dance, Jaipong is often performed
on entertainment occasions, congratulations or wedding parties.

2. Theatrical art

Tanah Pasundan is famous for its wayang golek art. Wayang Golek is a puppet play made
of wood and played by a director and voice actor called Dalang. A Mastermind has expertise in
imitating various human voices. Like Jaipong, Wayang Golek's performance was accompanied by
Degung music complete with Sindennya. Wayang Golek is usually staged at entertainment events,
weddings or other events. The staging time is also unique, namely at night (usually overnight)
starting around 20.00 – 21.00 to 04.00 am. The story revolves around the struggle between good
and evil (good characters versus evil characters). The puppet stories that are popular today are
inspired a lot by Hindu culture from India, such as the Ramayana or the Baratayudha War. The
characters in the story take names from the lands of India. In Wayang Golek, there are 'characters'
who are highly anticipated for the performance, namely groups called Purnakawan, such as Cepot,
Dawala, and Gareng. These characters are popular because they are characters who always act out
funny roles (such as comedians) and often provoke laughter from the audience. A clever Puppeteer
will play the character with a very interesting variety.

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