Imagine, being one of the most culturally diverse country in the world, it's almost impossible to see all the tribes in a short time frame during your visit in Indonesia, yet not seeing any of them is utterly a big disappointment. From the famous Balinese Tribe with its mystical Kecak Dance to Sundanese Tribe with its melodic sound of traditional music instrument, having this priceless experience will elevate your stay here in Indonesia.
Here's the question, is it possible to see more of Indonesian tribes somewhere without wasting too much time and money? Definitely there's a solution for that, attending a carnival or a festival. There are countless festivals held in Indonesia which attract visitors around the globe. (
Click here for event calendar)
One of the interesting carnival is Equatorial Carnaval or Karnaval Khatulistiwa (
in Bahasa) which just took place in
Pontianak, West Kalimantan Province, August 22nd, 2015. The carnival's name was derived from the venue itself, Pontianak, a city located almost precisely on the equator. This one day festival was divided into three main activities, land parade, water carnival, and peak performance by famous local musicians.
The heat didn't stop us from waiting the opening ceremony, started with a dance from local tribe, a short speech from governor, then a marching band. It's actually my first time watching Indonesian marching band performing live, pretty impressive. Following the marching band, decorated vehicles marched along carrying entertainers dressed in different traditional outfits. Here are some snaps from the Equatorial Carnaval. Sorry for my not so good pictures from my pocket camera, it doesn't perform well for portrait photos. I think I need to buy a new one, haha. Enjoy.
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| The corps performing marching band |
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| West Kalimantan traditional outfit |
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| Cyclist in vintage dressing |
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| Sweet couple in Malay Traditional Cloth (I guess) |
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| Two pretty ladies in more modern costume |
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| East Kalimantan Tribe, I want that head accessory! |
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| Sweet isn't she? |
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| My favorite tribe, Papuan. I love their energy playing the music |
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| Chinese Lion Dance. Chinese descendant is now a part of this country. |
That's just a few shots that I managed to take. There are still many different unique tribes such as Bataknese from
North Sumatera, Javanese, Balinese, etc. I had pretty good times chasing back and forth, left to right to get some good shots. See, in a day I could enjoy the diversity of Indonesian tribe. Unfortunately we didn't able to catch up the water carnival to see decorated boats and cannon shots as part of the agenda.
In my opinion, cultural festivals and carnivals like this are a good magnet for tourists especially photo-hunters. If government can make it become an international-class festivals with convenient facilities and good promotion, for sure it will boost Indonesia's tourism.
Traveled in 22-24 August 2015
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