Indang Tigo Sandiang: A Representation of the Education System of the Surau Packaged in the Form of a Performing Art in Padang Pariaman,West Sumatera, Indonesia

Abstract

The goal of this article is to investigate indang tigo sandiang as a representation of the education system of the surau packaged in the form of a performing art. Indang is a musical instrument belonging to the class of membranophones – a type of tambourine which the people of Pariaman call the rapa’i. Tigo sandiang (three sides) refers to the formulation of the performance which originates from three indang genres or associations that are found in the Pariaman community and known asguguih (group). These guguih are: (1) Guguih Kulipah (Khalifah) Husein; (2) Guguih Kulipah (Khalifah) Mak Amuik; and (3) Guguih Kulipah (Khalifah) Tan Karim. Each of the threeguguihhas its own strengths and advantages in terms of its religious understanding; the three guguih are a representation of the education system of the surau (a religious center used for worship and religious instruction). In sociological and religious terms these guguih are involved in a psychological conflict that has been conditioned; it is impossible for them to be united since they exist within three different conceptions. Philosophically, the ideology in the education system of the surau is the foundation of the concept of indang tigo sandiang that emerged in the Pariaman community. As an art text – a performance – it consists of three dimensions, namely literature, music, and “dance”. It is representation in the sense of “an act of presenting something through something else or something that exists outside of itself, usually in the form of a sign or a symbol” – in this case through the education system of the surau. The education system of the surau is characterized by its specialization on the knowledge of Islam and Sufism – kaji tarekat. In the context of the performing arts, indang tigo sandiang is an arena for different indang groups to test the performers’ skills in verbal art. The texts used in indang tigo sandiang are filled with satire, analogies, allusions, allegories, metaphors, aphorisms, music, and “dance”.

Keywords: Indang Tigo Sandiang, representation, education system of the surau, performing art, Padang Pariaman