The origin of the name Kecak dance, sociocultural context, symbolic power, and management challenges of the Indonesian tourism industry in global competition

Abstract

This study aims to describe the origin of the name of the dance, the sociocultural context, symbolic meaning, symbolic power, and the development of thematic tourism services based on the Kecak dance. This research was conducted using critical ethnographic methods. The data is in the form of dance names, mythology, symbols, and toponymy of areas related to the Kecak dance in Bali. Data analysis was carried out by critical discourse analysis. The results show that linguistically, the name of the Kecak dance is created in the form of a symbolic acronym. Based on the toponym, the Kecak dance is a dance that marks the reign of the King of Light in Bali. The Kecak dance contains a mythology about the King of Light who is purified as the pioneer of Bali, the Archipelago. The power of Raja Cahaya is marked by the names of areas, mountains, rivers, dwellings, and islands in the Bali region. The Kecak dance contains the collective memory of the Balinese community about the pioneering king of the archipelago. The performance of the Kecak dance is intended as a homage to Raja Cahaya. The Kecak Dance version of the Ramayana story carries a message about the life journey of the Sun dynasty kings which is in harmony with the Sang Hyang Wulan Ritual. The stories, dances, and rituals marked Raja Cahaya as the king to lead the Nusantara dynasty since the beginning of the year of Light.

Keywords:

• Kecak dance
• mythological symbol
• symbolic meaning
• tourism service strategy
• balimese culture

REVIEWING EDITOR:

• Lincoln Geraghty, School of Media and Performing Arts, University of Portsmouth, United Kingdom

SUBJECTS:

• Tourism; Tourism Marketing; Art & Visual Culture; Cultural Studies; Literary/Critical Theory

Introduction

In the religious life of the Balinese people, dance is part of religious rituals. One such dance is the Kecak dance. Wayan Limbak in the 1930s developed the Sang Hyang Ritual (Dzak, 2020) or the complete Sang Hyang Wulan Ritual (Stepulat, 2022) to become the Kecak Dance. The Sang Hyang Wulan ritual has existed for a long time and has been carried out by the Balinese people for generations. This traditional ritual before the rice harvest is also known as the Sang Hyang Dedari Ritual (Rachmawati, 2017). From when the ritual was not known with certainty.

The Kecak dance has become a cultural identity, tourism industry, and Indonesian cultural diplomacy internationally (Picard, 1996). Tourism-oriented innovations have concerned Kecak dance lovers and Balinese culturalists. Newly created Kecak dances tend to lead to a blurring of substance and a decrease in the level of sacredness.

There are symbolic elements in the Kecak dance that are not understood by the public. As a result, the audience’s understanding of the Kecak dance is still on the surface. In-depth studies of the substance of the Kecak dance have not been carried out. For this reason, it is necessary to study the Kecak dance with a focus on the origins of the name of the dance, its symbolic meaning, and sociocultural cognition in the story. Symbols are social communication tools (Nicholas & Prisca, 2020)

It is important to understand the symbols in the Kecak dance. This is necessary because knowing about the symbol, we can know the description of the deep expression of humans and their world (Pizzimenti, 2013, p. 52). The results of his study are useful for those who study art and culture to understand the philosophy of the Kecak dance. Furthermore, the results of this research study can become an initial benchmark and mutual agreement. The agreement was made to support the innovation of the Kecak dance which maintains indiginous values or eliminates substantial things.

To trace the origins of the name of the Kecak dance, toponymic linguistic theory is used (Room, 1977; Alasli, 2019). The existing symbols are described using cultural theory (Thompson, 2012) and Bourdieu’s theory of cultural semiotics (Swartz, 2013; Lignier, 2021). Mythological theory is used to understand stories in dance (Sailors, 2007; Scott, 2010). Theory These auxiliary theories are used to support a critical ethnographic approach (Lather, 2001) in this study.

Research methods

This Kecak dance study was conducted using a critical ethnographic approach (Lather in Atkinson et al., 2001). The object of this study is the Kecak dance and the development of a thematic tourism service strategy in Bali based on the Kecak dance. The research data is in the form of the Kecak dance in which there are elements of ancient a cappella style music, stories, and dance movements. For this reason, an ethnographic design was used in this study. The data were analyzed using critical discourse analysis so that this study approach is called critical ethnography. The critical ethnography here has been developed in a new epistemology. More recently, critical ethnography has turned to exploring indigenous ways of knowing and producing knowledge, which has steered the field in new and exciting directions. This research describes cultural phenomena that have played many aspects for reference considerations for various fields (Palmer & Caldas, 2015)

Data was collected by free in-depth interviews with Balinese humanists, the documentation method was used to collect videos and writings about the Kecak dance, and field observations of Kecak dance performances, ancient caves, and mountains related to the Kecak dance. Data on idioms, dance toponymy, and Balinese toponymy are used as materials for reconstructing the concept of ancient Balinese culture. Toponymy data is needed to understand the socio-cultural context of the Kecak dance and the description of the authorities regarding the origins of the naming of ancient areas and buildings in Bali. Story elements in the Kecak dance are used to find the image of the king in the ancient Balinese community. In this study, what was studied was the Kecak dance with the Ramayana story which was staged in Uluwatu. The Kecak dance with its mythological Garudeya story is incomplete because it is part of the Ramayana story.

The ancient buildings associated with this study include the Lawah Cave. In accordance with the ascetic tradition in the archipelago, ancient caves are hermitages developed by rishis as ancient religious leaders. This interpretation of the study of the Kecak dance is reinforced by ancient reports about the Sun King which are published in the Qur’an and the Nisan dynasty which are published in the Bible, the story of Jathasura in Hindu culture in wayang purwa, and the story of Ajisaka in the Balinese and Javanese oral traditions.

To find secret information in the Kecak dance, critical discourse analysis is carried out (van Dijk, 2015). Data analysis was carried out on the name of the Kecak dance, ancient idioms in the dance, symbolic meaning in the dance fragments, symbolic meaning in the names of the characters in the story, toponymy of the Bali region, and toponym of ancient caves in the Bali Archipelago. The results of the interpretation are validated by cultural experts and Balinese cultural experts in art and oral traditions. The data analysis was guided by an instrument developed by the researcher based on the suggestions of Spardley (1980) with adaptations as needed.

Research results and discussions

The name of the Kecak dance is the secret key to the identity of the Balinese community. The symbols in the Kecak dance depict the Sun King as the ancestor of the Balinese who pioneered the archipelago. The naming of the area of the island of Bali contains a symbol representing the King of Light. The mythological symbols contained in the Ramayana story which are performed in hybrid manner with the Kecak Dance contain an important message that the Balinese community in the archipelago are descendants of the Matahari dynasty. The philosophy of the Kecak dance can be developed as an inspiration for thematic tourism industry service management in facing global competition. Here’s the next explanation.

The origin of the name of the Kecak dance in a linguistic perspective

To understand the meaning of the name of the Kecak dance, according to Anderson’s (2007) suggestion, it is necessary to understand the semantic aspects and word prototypes by tracing their morphosyntax so that their derivations are found. The Kecak dance is a transformation of the Sang Hyang Wulan ritual. The name Sang Hyang Wulan is an old Balinese acronym for Sang Hyang Hakuwu Pala Hana, which means King Hyang Pala exists. Raja Hyang Pala is described as a giant king holding a mace (hakuwu pala) as an ancestor (hyang) of the Balinese community. Based on the decipherment of the acronym, it is known that the Sang Hyang Wulan ritual is intended as a ritual commemorating the reign of Raja Hyang Pala in the Balinese community.

The name of the Kecak dance is an acronym for the master of light aji kala (Kecak) which means the King of Giants (aji kala) as the king of the masters of light (raka master of light). That is, the Kecak dance depicts the Giant King as the leader of the kings in the tropics. The tropical region is called ‘Archipelago’. The name ‘Nusantara’ is an acronym for nusa nata raya which means island (nusa) belonging to the king of light (nata raya). The creation of names in the form of acronyms aims to facilitate pronunciation in oral communication, which is in line with the principle of ease of speech (Anderson, 2000). In speech act activities, this effort by Grice is called ‘cooperative principles’ (Betti, 2021).

In the performance of the Kecak dance there are magical sayings cak, sir, sirya, wirya, and gung repeatedly as accompaniment music in a cappella. The words cak and gung are more dominantly sung than sir, sirya, and wirya. The idiom ‘cak’ comes from the acronym cahya kala which means the Age of Light. The idiom ‘sir’ is an acronym for receipt of the highway which means Receipt of Light. The idiom ‘sirya’ or ‘siryang’ is an acronym for Resi Raya Hyang which means Resi/Rshi Hyang Cahaya. The idiom ‘wirya’ or ‘wiryang’ is an acronym for kawi raya hyang which means Hyang Cahaya as an expert on kawi literature. The idiom ‘gung’ is an acronym for ‘agung’ which means noble.

In the performance, the idioms sir, sirya/siryang and wirya/wiryang are followed by the word gung/pung which are spoken alternately. The combination of these two words forms an idiom: sir gung, sirya gung, siryang gung, wirya gung, or wiryang gung. The idiom sirgung is an acronym for resi raya agung which means the great King of Light. The idiom siryang gung is an acronym for Resi Raya Hyang Agung, which means Hyang Resi Raya is great. These idioms emphasize that Raja Cahaya is a ruler, sage, and literary expert who is glorified or glorified in Bali. There is a variation of the utterance siryang pung which is an acronym form of receipt raya hyang completed. This expression contains a message that the Rishi Light has died (rampung ‘pass away’).

Toponymy of the Bali region as a sociocultural context of the Kecak dance

In the study of toponymy, area names are created as geographic identities (Alasli, 2019) to facilitate communication. The creation of toponymy by using a certain language in the view of critical discourse analysis (CDA) is a form of declaration of power (van Dijk, 2015). More than that, regional toponymy functions to build the nation’s image (nation branding), create reputation, and reconstruct national identity (Anholt, 2013). The main goal is to strengthen the network of symbolic power through toponymy. Therefore, language reflects the social reality of its users (Chaika, 1982). For example, the name of the region (toponym) reflects the sociohistorical events of a nation in the world (Room, 1977). In this study the toponymy of the Bali region reflects the socio-cultural and socio-historical people of Bali, Indonesia. According to Wilson (2021, p. 8), the way the ancient Balinese created toponyms was influenced by their character, history, environment, and sociopolitical factors.

The toponymy of the Bali region reinforces the interpretation of the existence of Resi Cahaya which is in line with the symbolic meaning of the Kecak dance. The existence of Resi Cahaya is proven by creating a toponymy of the Bali region as his territory. The toponymy of the Bali region related to the Receipt of Light can be seen in Table 1.

Table 1. Names of Bali Regions Related to Resi Cahaya.

No	Region Name	Acronym from Toponymy	Symbolic meaning
1	Sanur Beach	Esa nur means one light	The name Sanur Beach marks the start of the 1 Light year calendar.
2	Denpasar City	Dahana empu nata-pandega esa raya means King Empu Api a leader one linght	Denpasar marks the fire Lord in power since the year 1 Light.
3	Catur Mountain	Cahya datu raya means the Kings of Light.	The name of Danau Catur ‘Catur lake’ marks the King The Glory of Raja Cahaya ‘King of Light’
4	Jimbaran Hill	Aji manu purba raya hana means there is a lord of light	The name of Jimbaran Hill marks the power of the King of Light
5	Padang-Padang Beach	Padang-padang artinya many light	The name of Padang-padang Beach marks the existence of King of Light
6	Karma Beach	Raka raya darma artinya the vision of king of light	The name of Karma beach marks tje vision of karma brought by the Rshi of Light ‘King of Light’
7	Prasi Beach	Pandega raya resi means the Leader or Rshi of Light ‘King of Light’	The name of Prasi Beach marks a name of Rshi ‘king’ of light the lght as a leader (pandega ‘Hint giver’).
8	Beratan Lake	Purba empu raya nata hana means that the King of Light as masters exists.	The name Beratan Lake signifies the reign of the Master of Light.
9	Kuta Beach	Wiku nata it means that the king has the character of a Rshi ‘a holy person’ (ascetic person)	The name Kuta Beach marks a king with a wiku character (like meditating).
10	Nusa Ceningan Island	Nusa cahya empu wening hana means island where the Rshi purifying his heart (wening ‘clear’).	The name of Nusa Ceningan Island marks the place for purifying a heart
11	Bali Island	Purba Kali artinya King of Kali (Kala ‘Times’)	The name of Bali Island marks The King of Kala as King of Ages
12	Lawah Cave	Pala purwa hana artinya King Pala (King Gada) is the first time came	Lawah Cave become a place where king Pala take a meditation as the first Rshi.
13	Uluwatu Beach	Penghulu purwa datu means the first king or Raja Adiraja Purwa	The namae of Uluwatu Beach marks the existenceeof Raja Cahaya ‘King of Light’ as the First King
14	Ubud City	Pungulu perabu dahana means King of Fire (penghulu dahana) died and was cremated (perabu).	The name of the Ubud area marks the death of the Fire King (King of Light) or the end of his life (kubud).

Based on the analysis of the linguistic aspects in the form of acronyms and symbolic meanings in toponyms in Table 1, the identity of the King of Light, aka the Sun King, can be identified. Symbolically the existence of Raja Cahaya is found in the name of the island, the name of the mountain, the name of the hill, the name of the lake, the name of the beach and the name of the cave in the area of Bali Island. For example, in the area name (1) Sanur Beach, (2) Denpasar city, (3) Mount Catur, and (4) Jimbaran Hill.

The name Sanur Beach is an acronym for esa nur which means 1 Light. That is, the name Sanur Beach marks the King of Light in power since the year 1 Light. In the Archipelago calendar, the light year is equivalent to ± 30,000 BC (Sukatman, 2001). This era is equivalent to the life of homowajaensis in the Song Genthong Cave, Wajak District, South Tulungagung, which is ± 40,000–30,000 BC (Kasnowihardjo, 2010). The interpretation of the year one Light is strengthened by the name of the city of Denpasar. The name of Denpasar City is an acronym for dahana empu nata pandega esa raya which means King of the Empu Fire leader of one Light.

The great name of Raja Cahaya who is in power is marked by the names of Mount Catur and Jimbaran Hill. The name Mount Catur comes from the acronym cahya datu raya which means the King of Light is shining or triumphant. The name Bukit Jimbaran comes from the acronym aji manu purba raya hana which means the king of humans who are experts in light exists. That is, Mount Catur and Jimbaran Hill mark the existence of the King of Light.

When Raja Cahaya died he was marked with the name of the Ubud area. The name Ubud comes from the hulu perabu dahana which means the Fire King (panghulu dahana) has died and is cremated (perabu). In Balinese and Javanese royal traditions, the king who is still alive is called sinuwun and after death is called perabu.

A number of toponyms for the Bali region, as shown in Table 1, depict Raja Cahaya ‘The King of Light’ ruling since the beginning of the year Light, so he is called Raja Purwa. In the view of orality (Ong, 1983) the naming of areas with the symbol of light is meant as an aggregative act to unify the Balinese community. Moreover, the naming of territories is a process of colonization (Ashcroft et al., 1998). In the context of Bali, colonization was in the form of community unification through spiritual movements into the colony of the Cahaya dynasty.

The King of Light was an ascetic (viku/rishi/rshi) in ancient caves and built religious temples on mountains, hills, lakes, beaches and residential areas to worship God. Light Resi teaches the teachings of ‘karma nutmeg’ that all human actions will be rewarded. The King of Light presides over the kings of the tropics and is therefore called the King of the Adiraja of Light. The things above are the sociocultural context of the Kecak dance.

According to cognitive stylistics (Semino, 2002), the way to name the area of Bali is the same way of thinking, namely the pattern of an acronym with the symbol of light according to cognitive stylistics (Semino, 2002), the creator is the same person, namely the dynasty of Light. The creation of symbolic toponymy in Bali is an effort to socialize and instill a collective ‘sense of belonging’ to Bali, as Kaya and Romanescu think (2021, p. 135). From the analysis of Balinese toponymy, it is known that toponymy reflects the traditions, beliefs, artistic experiences, and history of the community.

The power of the Sun King is symbolized in the Kecak Dance as a transformation of the Sang Hyang Wulan ritual. The transformation of religious rituals into dance is a form of cultural change, which according to Varnum and Grossmann (2017) deserves to be the focus of attention. The formation and movement of the Kecak dance illustrates the symbolic power of the Sun King in building state politics in Bali in ancient times. In Bourdieu’s view, symbolic power helps to create and maintain social hierarchies, which form the basis of political life (Swartz, 2013; Lignier, 2021). The description of the symbolic power in question is contained in the Kecak dance scene as follows.

In the Kecak dance there are formations of (1) a fire burning in the middle of the arena, (2) scenes of dancers sitting in a circle, (3) dancers wearing black and white black and white black and white black and white poleng cloth, (4) sprinkling of holy water by Hindu priests, (5) dancers raise their hands with open palms and fingers when sitting or standing, (6) dancers walk in a dashing style (‘kencak’), (7) Raja Kala sits on top supported by dancers, (8) circles of fire which burned Hanuman was extinguished using the feet, and (9) the dancers sat down on their backs. The symbolic meaning of the formation is as follows.

One, a fire burning in the middle of the stage arena. This setting symbolizes Bali as a tropical region rich in sunshine with active volcanoes. For example, Mount Batur and Mount Agung.

Two, the dancers sit in a circle to form a ring. This formation describes the unity that was built from the harmony of the fire kings throughout the archipelago. The ring formation also symbolizes that the Sun King’s country is surrounded by volcanoes. Therefore, its ruler is known as the Fire Lord.

Three, a Hindu rishi sprinkles water on the Kecak pullers. This scene is a symbol that the sun dynasty kings in the tropics adhered to Hinduism which upheld holy character. The tradition of sprinkling holy water is still sustainable today.

Fourth, the seated dancer wears a black and white poleng or bledhag patterned cloth. The word polleng (polo lenggah) is symbolic of King Polo/Nutmeg sitting (offhanded) as the ruler. The word bledhag (ancient nutmeg master dhahyang agni) symbolizes the King of Pala Masters (ancient nutmeg master) as the ruler of fire (dhahyang agni) or the King of Fire.

Kecak dancers in sitting, standing and sleeping positions as a Symbol of the King of Light Sitting on the Throne, Standing Leading, and Has Sleeped (Deceased). Kecak photo taken from Pura Luhur Uluwatu or Pura Uluwatu in the Pecatu Traditional Village area, South Kuta District, Badung Regency, Bali.

Fifth, the dancers stand on the spot with a dashing expression called ‘kencak’ symbolizing the King of Light as a strong leader in his era. In the ancient Balinese concept, the state leader (king) is also a religious leader (resi). Therefore, in leading and running the government based on religious values.

Six, the dancers show their palms with open fingers as a symbol of the sun that is shining. On the palm there is a hand line called a tattoo. The word rajah is an acronym form of raya raja hana which means the King of Light once existed. In Indonesian culture, the movement of waving with open fingers is usually followed by saying: ‘Daa…Daa’ or ‘Dadaa’. The word Daa is an acronym for dahyang agni which means Lord of Fire. This tradition is still running in modern Indonesian culture.

When leaving or traveling far away, the Indonesian tradition is to wave your hand and say ‘Daa Daa’ or ‘Dadaa’. This custom contains a symbolic meaning that when we leave or separate we must not forget that we are one brother, namely the descendants of the King of Fire or the King of Light. However, the Balinese and the Indonesian people generally do not realize that this symbolic gesture marks them as a descendant of the Fire Lord.

Seven, the circle of fire that Hanoman extinguishes as a sign that the Indonesian people in a volcanic country surrounded by volcanoes have forgotten their identity as the successors to the dynasty of the King of Fire (King of Light).

Eighth, King Kala sits with the support of many smaller Light Kings as an illustration that King Kala is the king of all kings in tropical countries. This symbol conveys the message that the country of the Sun is a unit of a number of smaller kingdoms with an autonomous (autonomous) system.

Nine, dancers sit backwards. This formation symbolizes the King of light has died (slept). The nine formations in the Kecak dance depict Raja Cahaya sitting in power, standing leading the Balinese-Archipelagic community, and having passed away.

Mythological symbols in the Kecak dance

In the context of ancient Roman life, myth has eight functions (Sailors, 2007). The four functions include (1) conveying history to the next generation, (2) explaining an unsolved mystery of life, (3) explaining the reasons for a cultural activity to be carried out, and (4) explaining the origins of a nation. These four functions are relevant to the study of mythology in the Kecak dance.

In the Kecak dance there is a mythology about the Lord of Fire known as the story of the Ramayana. The name Ramayana comes from an acronym in ancient Balinese or ancient Javanese, raya manu hayana, which means the story of the journey (hayana) of the human being of light (raya manu). That is, the title of this story tells about the journey of light humans or the kings of tropical countries, which refer to ‘Nusantara’ (old Indonesia). In the Ramayana story, the Kecak Dance version, there are mythological symbols namely (1) King Rawana, (2) Alengka Country, (3) Resi Mayangkara (King Hanoman), (4) King Garuda (Resi Jatayu), (5) Dewi Sinta, (6) King Rama, and (7) King Deer. Due to the limited writing space, the symbols discussed are limited to the important ones and other symbols are discussed in other studies. The popular Ramayanga story with kSri Rama and Goddess Sita was accompanied by Admiral Dandaka jungle. This story is very attached to becoming a legend in Javanese and Balinese culture (Made & Sidia, 2011).

The conclusion of the Ramayana Epic is the story of the life journey of the sun dynasty kings symbolically from the year of Light, the year of Nisan, the year of Sura until the year of Saka. The Sun King is a king (aji) whose country is marked by many caves (leng) with gigantic sizes (kala) so that his country is called Aji Leng Kala (Alengka).

Based on the symbols in the sacred story (myth) of the Ramayana in Table 2, it can be understood that this story teaches the younger generation in the Saka year about the origins of their ancestors. The Saka year or Javanese year applies in the Javanese tradition (Sukatman & Taufiq, 2017), the Balinese tradition (Ramadhansyah & Irma, 2022), and the Sundanese tradition (Pangerang, 2020). The land of King Rama is symbolized as the lost Goddess Sinta or to be precise, disappeared from the memory of the Indonesian people.

Table 2. Mythological Symbols and Their Meanings in the Ramayana Story Kecak dance version.

No	Mythology symbol	Symbolic meaning
1	Rawana	Rawana (raya purwa nata) means the first king of light (purwa), Rawana is a picture of the King of Light in the form of a giant. Rawana was King Kala as ruler during the early Light year.
2	Alengka	Alengka (aji leng kala) artinya raja suatu negeri yang pada zaman itu (kala) dibangun gua-gua (leng) atau raja yang negerinya terdapat gua-gua purba sebagai istana pertapaan. Nama Alengka memuat informasi bahwa pada tahun Cahaya banyak dibangun gua-gua (leng) untuk pertapaan sehingga rajanya disebut raja pertapa (wiku nata) yang ditandai nama Pantai Kuta (wiku nata).
3	Rshi Mayangkara	Mayangkara (manu hyang raka ara) means Raja Hyang Ara or Rshi Lo (banyan). It was called Resi Ara because Resi Hyang Ara’s palace was planted with fig, loa, or banyan trees. In Javanese culture, Resi Mayangkara is also called Resi Nuhu, Resi Bergu, or Resi Owl who reigns in the year of Nisan. In the old Bible, King Noah (Resi Nuhu) reigned in the Nisan dynasty. Until now, the courtyard of the central government building in Indonesia is still commonly planted with banyan trees. However, the Indonesian people do not know when this tradition was carried out.
4	King Garuda atau Rshi Jatayu	Garuda (pandega nyaru dhahyang) artinya raja yang menyamar (nyaru laku) sebagai Raja Elang. Raja Garuda juga disebut Resi Jatayu. Resi Jatayu (raja tanah Malayu) artinya penguasa bumi yang selalu bergerak (malayu) secara samar (maya) sehinga dikenal sebagai Suku Maya. Dia melawan (sura) kebatilan di dunia. Dalam wayang purwa Raja Garuda juga disebut Resi Jathasura. Kaja Sura merupakan simbol tahun Sura (tahun Solon dalam tradisi penanggalan bangsa Eropa).
5	Kijang	Kijang (the words: aki and tunjang) means grandfather pole (saka) as a symbol of King Saka who came to power in the year of Saka. That is, the deer is a symbol of King Saka. The Saka year or Javanese year applies in Bali, Java and Sunda side by side with the Christian year until now.
6	Rama	Rama (raya manu) means human of light as a symbol of the King of Light in the form of a knight. In the context of Indonesian (not Indian) culture Rawana is a giant king (kala) as the dasanama (alias) of King Rama.
7	Dewi Sinta	Sinta (sinuwun tanah) means royal land or earth as a symbol of the motherland, country, or ‘motherland’, namely the place where the King of Light lives. In the teachings of the rishis and warriors in the archipelago, his first wife is the motherland that must be defended to the death. Sinta lost under Rawana is actually a symbol of the Indonesian nation ‘losing memory’ about the origins of her homeland. Archipelago has existed since when? The answer is, this homeland of the archipelago has existed since the Sun dynasty because he was the one who started it.

The Saka dynasty in the Javanese year was the descendant of the Garuda dynasty in the Sura year or the Solon year (Sagstetter, 2013). The Garuda dynasty is the descendant of the Mayangkara dynasty (King Hanuman) in the year of Nisan, known as the Nisan dynasty. The name of the Nisan dynasty is mentioned in the Bible in the Old Testament in Genesis Verses 5–9 which tells that King Noah was called a servant of God who obeyed Allah (Indonesian AL Book Institute, 2008, pp. 5–9). The Nisan dynasty is a descendant of the Sun dynasty in the year of Light. So, the kings of the Archipelago who lived in the Saka year are now descendants of the Matahari dynasty.

The Sun King is symbolized in the form of a warrior named Rama and as a giant (kala) named Rawana. This embodiment or other name in Indonesia is called dasanama (Dwijo, 1950; Winter, 1875). The land of Rawana is called Alengka which is marked by ancient caves (leng) as a place of meditation. As a king (aji) whose country has built many giant caves (leng) (kala), Rawana’s country is called the land of Aji Leng Kala (Alengka). Until now in the archipelago you can find mysterious caves that are always accompanied by unique names, such as the Lawah Cave in Bali. This is a sign that the true land of Alengka is Indonesia. This interpretation is a challenge for researchers to unravel the mysteries of ancient caves in Indonesia, because according to geologists these ancient caves are natural, not man-made.

In this study, there is no problem with the Ramayana story from India or Indonesia, because all the Ramayana characters also exist in Wayang Purwa in Java, Indonesia. This study is in line with the study of ethnosemiotics (Sudikan, 2021) that the interpretation of texts is based on the perspective of the story interpreter. From this study it can be seen that the Kecak Dance version of the Ramayana story is relevant to Indonesian socio-culture, whose ballet is also staged at Prambanan Temple, Yogyakarta. The current provisional claim that the Ramayana story was written by Resi Valmiki from India (Kamalia et al., 2020). This story originally from Indonesia or India needs to be discussed in another study. In a mythological perspective, the Ramayana story is a ‘narrative monument’ about the Sun King which functions as a tool to remember ancestors for communities in Indonesia.

In the Ramayana story found (a) historical elements of the kings of the Matahari dynasty, (b) the mystery of the land of Alengka as Indonesia, (c) the Indonesian nation as a descendant of the Matahari dynasty, and (d) the performance of the Kecak dance and the story of the Ramayana in a hybrid function to honor the ancestors Indonesian nation. These findings are in line with Sailors’s (2007) view that myths function as a medium for conveying knowledge, to legitimize land ownership and customary law in people’s lives. Long before that, in the 1940s Joseph Campbell (in Scott, 2010) found that myths function to glorify humans in the universe mystically. Therefore, Thomson (2012) states that oral evidence can be a new alternative in overcoming the deadlock of historical study data. This thought is in line with Vansina (2014) who views oral tradition as history, although not all oral traditions contain history.

Development of Kecak Dance as a management base for global tourism services

Based on the study of the origin of the name, the socio-cultural context, and its symbolic meaning, the Kecak dance is an information center for ancient Balinese culture. That is, by understanding the Kecak dance correctly, one can understand the identity of the Balinese people. The name of the dance is symbolically associated with historical places and cultural centers connected to the early Balinese rulers of Indonesia. The place referred to, for example: the name of the beach, the name of the lake, the name of the cave, the name of the mountain, the name of the hill, and the name of the city. These findings can be developed as a service strategy for tourism activities in Bali.

The Kecak dance inspired the development of a ‘thematic tourism service management’ based on the Kecak dance. This strategy is called KECAK management (Key of E-tourism, Cultural Activities at Kuta). According to the findings, the city related to the Kecak dance is Denpasar so that this city has become a tourism service center with servant posts in Denpasar city and Kuta. The ‘KECAK Management’ strategy has the stages of (i) filling out the tour form on e-tourims, (ii) enjoying the Kecak Dance performance, (iii) Kuta Beach Tour, Sanur Beach, Prasi Beach, (iv) visiting Lawah Cave as a mandala (spiritual center)) The Sun King, (v) A tour to Mount Catur, Jimbaran Hill, and (vi) a tour to the Ubud art center. Further explanation, as follows.

First, it is necessary to develop a thematic Bali e-tourism page first. On this site potential tourists can visit the page and fill out the e-tourism format so that tourism activities are more meaningful. By visiting the Bali e-tourism site, tourists are guided to determine their travel destinations.

Second, after arriving in Bali tourists enjoy the Kecak dance. In this activity, it is necessary to have leaflets or booklets containing cultural narratives of the Kecak dance in various international languages. The cultural narrative of the Kecak dance includes the names of cities, beaches, mountains, hills, caves or temples, and an explanation of the meaning of the tourist ‘object name’ related to the Sun King. Tour guides related to the Kecak dance need to be properly prepared because their job is to correctly understand the philosophy of dance to tourists.

Third, when tourists come to Kuta Beach, Sanur and Prasi, they need to make sure they understand the sociohistorical aspects. These places are related to the start of the 1 Light year calendar when the Light Sage came to power. It is strongly suspected that Resi Cahaya is Raden Palasara (Denpasar) alias Resi Palasara.

Fourth, when visiting Lawah Cave there needs to be an explanation by the tour guide that the cave is an ancient hermitage of the Resi Cahaya era. Indonesian people live in caves not because they are primitive but because they have an ascetic tradition to purify their hearts, clear their minds, and worship God, Sang Hyang Widi.

Fifth, during a visit to Mount Catur and Bukit Jimbaran there needs to be an explanation that the naming of the hill is intended as a sign of the power of Resi Cahaya. Especially for mountain tourism, there needs to be a tour guide with qualified competence. If possible this tour is associated with the Ogoh-ogoh parade. As previously explained, the Ogoh-ogoh tradition is a picture of the reign of Raja Kala (King of the Sun).

Sixth, tourists come to Ubud as a cultural center. The Ubud area marks that the Rishi of Light or the Rishi of Fire has been cremated and his lifetime (kubud) has ended. If possible, this tour is associated with the cremation ritual with its various varieties (Arifana & Kiki, 2021), in addition to visiting art centers.

The ‘KECAK’ management strategy can be derivation into arbitrary thematic tour packages. What is important is that the theme and appreciation of tourism activities are well understood by tourists. This strategy is an effort to integrate tourism activities and Balinese cultural literacy. For this reason, it is necessary to have leaflets, booklets or digital videos to guide tourists. This method is expected to improve the quality of Bali tourism services in the midst of global tourism competition.

Bourdieu’s theory conceptualizes both the supply and demand sides of the market, as well as specifying their interaction with external social factors (Robbins, 2005). Kecak dance is part of art and culture that can strengthen tourism. The world of tourism needs to see the meaning of kecak as a part that deals with market interests. Social Positions is something that needs to be looked at in this matter. Bourdieu (1998) sees this as the existence of power that can be compared between systems. Social Positions (Related Concept), dispositions (or habitus), and positions-taking (prises de position) are choices in the most diverse domains of practice. Thus, if the noble value of Kecak is understood there will be an equal relationship between authenticity and the tourism industry.

Conclusion

The name of the Kecak dance is constructed in the form of an acronym and is symbolic. The toponymy of the Kecak dance contains a symbolic message that the dance is a ritual that marks the reign of the King of Light in the Balinese community. Raja Cahaya is honored as the pioneer of Bali, the Archipelago. The symbolic power of Raja Cahaya is marked by the name of the region, the name of the mountain, the name of the river, the name of the residence, and the name of the island in the Bali Island area.

The Kecak dance is a reminder to preserve the collective memory of the Balinese community about the ancestors of the Indonesian nation. Based on linguistic aspects, cultural symbols, and existing mythology, the Kecak dance records the culture of the light year era of Resi Palasara or Raja Cahaya, the year of Nisan in the era of Resi Nuhu, Resi Bergu, or King Hanoman, the year of Sura in the era of Raja Garuda or Resi Jatayu, and the year of Saka. the era of Rishi Kijang or Raja Saka as described in the Ramayana epic.

The Kecak dance version of the Ramayana story contains a symbolic message about the life journey of the sun dynasty kings who are strengthened by the Sang Hyang Wulan Ritual. The stories, dances, and rituals mark Raja Cahaya as king to lead the Nusantara dynasty since the early times (purwa), namely the year 1 Cahaya.

Kecak dance has the potential to be used as a thematic tourism service strategy because it contains the identity of the Balinese community. This strategy is for example ‘KECAK Management’ (Key of E-tourism, Cultural Activities at Kuta). Thematic tourism strategies need to be carried out in order to improve the quality of tourism services in intense global competition.

Research space is limited. Because of this, several points need to be described (a) the discussion of ‘Wali Dance’ (scred dance) which transforms into a new creation ‘Kecak Dance’ (profan) will be discussed in further research. (c) The Kecak dance outside Uluwatu which contains the Mahabarata story is not discussed in this study because it contains a different symbolic story. (c) The words cak and kecak are different ancient acronyms so that the word kecak is not a change from cak. (d) King Hanoman is the envoy whose duty is to reveal the secret of King Rawana which in another version is known as the story of Anoman Duta. Symbolically, King Hanuman lived in the year of Nisan, not the year of Light. The Year of Light as the era of the life of the King of Light is symbolized by the fire element in the Kecak Dance. Thus, the story of Ramayana in the Kecak Dance is a cross-age story that reveals the secret of King Rawana as the ruler of the Light year era.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the University of Jember [952.12 USD].

Notes on contributors

S. Sukatman

Dr. S. Sukatman is a lecturer at University of Jember, East Java, Indonesia. He is active in the Oral Tradition Research Group developed by the Jember University Research Institute. The field of his research carried out are culture, literature, art and language. In this latest research, he carried out 6 months of observations in Bali Island. This research is the result of an in-depth study of how tourism interests in Indonesia are developing. On the other hand, there are truths that need to be preserved and understood by many parties so that the meaning of the Kecak dance is not lost because of the desire for popularity.

Rusdhianti Wuryaningrum

Dr. Rusdhianti Wuryaningrum is a lecturer at the University of Jember, East Java, Indonesia. Her research field is discususe analysis and sociolinguistics. Collaborative research between oral traditions and discourse analysis plays a role in conveying ideas about the authenticity of the meaning of Kecak dance in Balinese culture. This research is a development of research on mythology, oral traditions and language studies which is the focus of the Language and Culture Research Group in collaboration with the Oral Tradition Research Group, University of Jember Research Institute. This research is a study of efforts to improve the quality of Indonesian tourism, especially in Bali. The valuable lesson we learned was that concern for understanding the meaning of art and culture is something that needs to be studied in lectures on the topics of education, language and art. Art and culture are not only a matter of popularity, but also the ability to convey value and meaning.