Documentary · Completed Film · 2018
A documentary about the return of Kawasaran Sumonder, a distinctive Kawasaran tradition from Sonder that had not been performed for generations.
About the Film
The Return of Kawasaran Sumonder
Kawasaran Sumonder Reborn documents the return of Kawasaran Sumonder, a Minahasan customary performance tradition associated with the people of Sonder.
The term Sumonder refers to people originating from or living in Sonder, Minahasa. Although connected to the wider Kawasaran tradition, Kawasaran Sumonder has its own verses, movements, structure, and philosophical meaning.
According to the community’s historical memory, this form of Kawasaran had not been publicly performed since approximately the nineteenth century.
Logline
After disappearing from public performance for generations, young people and cultural workers in Sonder reconstruct Kawasaran Sumonder from surviving verses, movements, memories, and historical knowledge.
Synopsis
Reassembling a Tradition Eroded by Time
From 2009 to 2017, several people in Sonder worked to gather verses, movements, historical accounts, and fragments of knowledge connected to Kawasaran Sumonder.
The effort involved the late Manguni Carlos Rednos, Septian Lolowang, Minahasan cultural historian Fredy Sreudeman Wowor, and other members of the cultural community in Sonder.
Their work eventually made it possible to establish a Kawasaran group consisting primarily of young people from Kauneran, Talikuran, Sendangan, Tincep, and Leilem.
In 2017, Kawasaran Sumonder appeared publicly again during the consecration of a Catholic church building in Sonder. The documentary includes footage of this first performance and records the reasons behind the tradition’s return.
A Distinctive Kawasaran Tradition
Nine Parts and Twenty-Seven Verses and Movements
Kawasaran Sumonder differs from other forms of Kawasaran commonly performed in Minahasa. The reconstructed tradition contains nine performance sections and twenty-seven verses and movements.
It is not centred on demonstrations of invulnerability. It is understood as a dance of gratitude to God for protection during warfare and in the life of the community.
Among its important verses are Mapokey asi Casuruan, a request for the protection of God Almighty, and Masembong, which expresses the value of helping one another.
Culture and Christianity
A Performance within the Life of the Church
The first public performance in 2017 took place during the consecration of a Catholic church building in Sonder.
This setting reveals an important relationship between Minahasan cultural practice and Christianity in Sonder. The return of Kawasaran Sumonder was not presented as a rejection of Christian faith, but as part of an effort to recognise cultural knowledge, collective memory, and local identity within contemporary community life.
Community Reconstruction
Young People Bringing the Tradition Back
The return of Kawasaran Sumonder was made possible through collective research, oral history, cultural memory, and the willingness of a new generation to learn movements and verses that had nearly disappeared.
The film presents cultural revival not as the simple repetition of the past, but as an active process of gathering fragmented knowledge, studying it, practising it, and returning it to the community.
About Wale Papendangan
A House for Learning and Cultural Work
The film was produced by Wale Papendangan, a shared cultural space dedicated to studying Minahasan literature and culture.
The name Wale Papendangan can be understood as a house or centre for learning. It was based at the home of Minahasan cultural worker Fredy Sreudeman Wowor in Sonder, Minahasa.
Film Launch
Four Screenings in One Evening
Kawasaran Sumonder Reborn was launched on 18 January 2018 at Wale Papendangan in Sonder.
Although the invitation was circulated only a few hours before the event, the house became crowded with members of the Kawasaran community, artists, cultural workers, and local residents.
Because of the number of people attending, the film was screened four times for four different groups of viewers. Each screening was followed by conversation and discussion that continued late into the evening.
The gathering also included food prepared by members of Kawasaran Sumonder, including boiled taro, dabu-dabu, and pinaraci.
Project Information
Film Details
Title
Kawasaran Sumonder Reborn
Format
Documentary
Year
2018
Location
Sonder, Minahasa, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Main subject
The revival of Kawasaran Sumonder
Production
Wale Papendangan
Film launch
18 January 2018 · Wale Papendangan, Sonder
Communities represented in the Kawasaran group
Kauneran · Talikuran · Sendangan · Tincep · Leilem