VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Papuans have traditional religious beliefs integrated into all aspects of life. Their worldviews are related to each other between the material and spiritual, the secular and the sacred. All function simultaneously. Related to its relationship with art, Musyoh Dance is one of the dances found in Papuan culture that most manifests their belief system. Musyoh dance is a type of ritual dance as an effort to expel the spirits of people who died in accidents.

When one of the Papuan tribesmen dies due to an accident, the Papuan people generally believe that the spirit is not calm. Through this belief, Musyoh Dance was born as a way to calm the spirits. In practice, this dance is also like most traditional Papuan dances which are generally accompanied by their traditional musical instrument, Tifa. However, this dance does not use spears, but generally the dancers carry arrows and shields as symbols of expulsion. This dance is performed by a group of male dancers with agile and energetic movements. To exorcise the spirits, the dance movements are accompanied by typical Papuan shouts or cheers.

By performing this Musyoh dance, it is hoped that it can drive away unnatural spirits. Thus, the spirit will not disturb the living. This dance has long been known by the tribal communities in Papua. Until now, the function of this dance is still the same, namely a sacred dance to ward off spirits, people who died unnaturally, such as accidents and others. Many people think that this dance is to welcome guests. The welcome dance is accompanied by rhythmic music with dynamic dance movement patterns that show the joy of the people's hearts in welcoming respected guests.