Abstract:
This research is based on the urgent need to safeguard the
continuation of local cultureswhen faced to any foreign culture’s
existence which can easily turn invasive in the midst of 4.0
industrial era and modernization. The balian songs have their
own roles and functions that can be recorded as digital-archieve
as one of concrete ways to safeguard local cultures in this 4.0
industrial era. The balian welcoming song is sung as both the
expression of joy and honor to all the guests attending and
walking down the aisle to the bridegrooms. Its common functions
are, among others: 1) opening the wedding ceremony while
parading the groom to the bride’s house; 2) guarding or
protecting the groom from various potential misfortunes and or
dangers coming from outsider parties; and 3) showing that the
groom belongs to higher, or mid to upper, social and economic
classes. The balian song of advice is sung to accompany the
groom walking down the aisle. The role is to help the groom
steeling his heart and thus readying him to make any lovesake’s
sacrifice for his future wife. The advice song functions, among
other: 1) to open the pantun (local couplets equivalent to those of
traditional English) to intentionally put off the upcoming groom,
for such delay is deemed necessary to show the couple’s
readiness to make common sacrifice in their later household and
2) to better prepare the future husband’s perseverance to
overcome any oncoming difficulties. Thus, the digital recording
and archieving of balian songs require both the government and
society’s utmost cares and immediate acts as that digitalization of
cultural assets can help protecting various Maanyanese Dayak’s
cultural heritage, especially the balian songs, to all future
generations.
