Magasa Dance, Traditional Dance From West Papua

Magasa Dance is a traditional dance of Arfak tribe community in West Papua Province. This dance will usually be performed en masse by male dancers and female dancers. They will dance by hand in hand and form long lines like snakes, so many call this dance with Snake Dance. Magasa Dance is one of the most famous traditional dances in West Papua, especially among Arfak tribe people. This dance is usually displayed in various events that are custom, entertainment, or cultural.

History of Magasa Dance

It is said that Magasa Dance has existed since time immemorial. This dance is one of the traditional traditions of the Arfak tribe community. Arfak tribe itself is a native tribe who has long inhabited the Arfak Mountains region in Manokwari, West Papua Province. This dance used to celebrate the victory or success in doing something. In addition, Magasa Dance is often displayed in welcoming the honored guests who are coming there.



This dance is done for the expression of gratitude and community happiness for what they have got. Over time, this Magasa Dance is still maintained and preserved by the people of Arfak tribe until now. Apart from being one of the ancestral heritage, Dance Magasa is also very rich in the values contained therein.

Functions And Meaning Of Magasa Dance

Magasa Dance is generally enabled to enliven an event such as welcoming guests, weddings, traditional events and also other important events. This dance is interpreted for the expression of gratitude and happiness from the community for what they have gained. Besides this dance is also interpreted as a symbol of unity and a sense of togetherness of the community Arfak tribe. This can be seen from how they do it together regardless of age, gender, and also the social status that distinguishes them.

Dance Performance Magasa

Magasa dance is usually displayed by male and female dancers in mass or large numbers. The dancers will dance by hand in hand and will form an elongated formation. For the position of the dancers will usually be intermittent between men and women. With a song or song, they danced together and filled with joy.



Movement in Magasa Dance is quite simple, this movement is dominated by movements that jump sideways together and also one direction. One of the highlights in this dance is their varied and uninterrupted formation of dancing. This formation is like a circular formation, curved and also straight, so it looks like the movement of a snake.

Magasa Dance Companion

In this dance, Magasa performance is usually only accompanied by songs or songs from the dancers, so this dance is done without using music accompaniment. The lyrics of the song are then performed in the same way together with one voice. Although not using companion music, the movements in this dance remain in tune with the lyrics of the songs they bring.

Magasa Dance Costume

The costumes used by the dancers in the Dance Magasa show is usually using custom clothing. The male dancers will usually only use cloth wire and also head cover made of Cassowary or Cendrawasih bird feathers. For male dancers will usually be equipped with weapons like traditional tools of swords or spears in their hands. As for the female dancers will usually use a kind of sarong cloth that covers the chest to their ankles. Then for accessories, the female dancers will use decorations such as flowers and also leaves of sago trees that plug in their hair.

The development of Magasa Dance

Dance Magasa is still maintained and preserved by the people there. In its development, this dance is also often displayed in various entertainment events or celebrations. In addition, Tari Magasa is often displayed in various cultural events such as art performances, cultural festivals, as well as tourism promotion. This is certainly done as part of the effort in preserving and introducing to the younger generation as well as the wider community about their culture.