Preserving the Traditional Sport of the Ancestors of Chopsticks at the 37th Gawai Dayak Week

– Traditional game competition typical of the Dayak community, chopping is one of the important agendas that was held at the 37th Gawai Dayak Week (PGD), in the yard of Radakng House, Pontianak City, West Kalimantan, Monday (22/5/2023).

The coordinator of the chopping competition, Damianus, stated that the event was an effort to preserve the customs and culture that had been passed down from their ancestors. Chopsticks themselves are closely related to the life of traditional Dayak people who were used to hunt animals before they were introduced to modern weapons.

In ancient times, chopsticks or damak children were given poison that came from the sap of ipuh or iren trees. In terms of use, chopsticks have their own advantages, because they can be used as long-distance weapons and do not damage nature because they are made of natural materials.

Chopsticks are made of hard wood. The shape is round with a length of up to 2 meters, with a stem diameter of about 2 cm and a hole diameter of 1 cm. Currently chopsticks become a traditional sport that continues to be preserved.

Damianus said that in this competition, 32 female participants and 60 male participants participated. In addition, there were also participants who came from invited guests, namely 18 people from neighboring countries, Sabah and Sarawak Provinces, Malaysia.

“The criteria for winning this competition uses the highest score system. Participants narrow the target with a distance of 20 meters and 30 meters for male participants. With a standing position of five damak, squatting five damak,” he explained.

Damianus explained, in West Kalimantan, the players in the traditional sport of chopsticks are members of a parent organization spread across 14 existing districts/cities. Not only at the local level, even at the national level.

“All of them have their own main organizations. Not only in West Kalimantan too, so this sport is indeed played nationally at National National Team. Membership for each district is busy, for example in Pontianak itself there are 43 active members,” he explained.

These organizational groups, said Damianus, routinely hold joint exercises. Practice at least twice a week. While the chopsticks used today have been modified with a more modern design.

“We used traditional chopsticks before. So now it’s a modern design that has iron inside. So there’s a barrel inside the chopsticks. More modern ones have their own development,” he concluded.

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