Dancing the eagle dance

By Patrick Matbob
Singsing Taragau, (eagle dance) of the Manam Islanders of Madang is a dance rarely performed outside of the island. The dance belongs exclusively to the kukurai or chiefs of the island who decide when it can be performed. The kukurai also participate in the dance and take the lead parts. A great number of pigs are slaughtered for the feast that is held to accompany the performance.

DWU students performing singsing Taragau.

So it was considered a special honor when the kukurai of Dugulaba village on Manam Island Teddy Wandama gave permission for the Taragau dance to be taught to a group of Divine Word University (DWU) students for the school’s annual culture day. The permission was granted following a request from a student, Albert Sika, who is a descendant of the kukurai clan at Dugulaba.
Kukurai Wandama commissioned five dance instructors representing the five ‘bet’ (platforms) that represent the clans at Dugulaba to travel to DWU to teach the students. The act stirred interest amongst the Manam Islanders in town. It was unusual for a kukurai to allow such a dance to be performed by outsiders. However, for the group of 18 Madang, East and West Sepik students, and Manam islanders living in Madang, it was an opportunity not to be missed.
The practice began towards the end of the third term, a period of exams and assessments, and only two weeks before the show. While the dance had various patterns, three of the basic ones were selected and taught to the students.
Imitating the graceful and majestic taragau (eagle), as it soared and circled then swooped in attack, was not easy. But the instructors were masters of their craft. They demonstrated the movements with grace and ease and made it look easy. Time and time again, the students were told to bend their knees, keep their backs straight and chins up, to soar from left to right by moving just the upper part of their body gracefully and co-ordinate the movements of their feet.
“Imagine the eagle. It is graceful, yet a majestic bird; the king of the sky,” the students were told.

To prepare for the performance also required observance of certain taboos, which included one week of going into the banis or seclusion. Allowances had to be made for the students because one week in the banis would have adversely affected their studies. A period of two nights from Thursday to Friday was agreed upon and the students camped out at Albert Sika’s family residence in town. During that time the dancers were advised to ‘abstain from drinking water’ which worried the students until it was explained that this meant sex was taboo. At 4am each morning the boys bathed in the sea as part of the ‘cleansing’ ritual. They were however, spared drinking a specially prepared salt water concoction which would have literally cleaned out their system and made them ‘lighter’ for the dance.
The day came and the dance instructors worked hard in ensuring that all the bilas (costumes) needed was available. The bilas included bird of paradise feathers, head bands made of dog’s teeth, armlets, sea shell ornaments for the dancers to grip in their mouth, red laplaps in place of loin cloths which were in short supply, cassowary feathers and fresh coconut shoots for the ‘wings’ of the taragau. Some substitutes had to be made such as plastic for shells and woven coconut leaf for dog’s teeth.
It was a 15-minute performance at DWU and as the crowd surged around to see this rare dance, the students found very little room to move. It was a pity. For just as the eagle had the sky to display its skills, the dancers needed space to perform the elaborate movements. A crowded arena was not the place for the dance. It was one performance only and as the students were leaving the grounds, many people expressed disappointment at not being able to see the dance.
The dance to rausim bilas (remove the costumes) marked the finale of the performance at Sika’s residence. As the last beat of the kundu drums died away that evening, emotions reached their peak. The darkness did well to hide many tear-filled eyes as the students sat in silence packing away their costumes and contemplating the end of a wonderful experience.
In two weeks, the taragau dance had forged a bond of friendship amongst the students and the Manam islanders. The moments of practicing together, camping out under the stars, sharing betel nut, food, bilas and endless hours of humor was an experience of a lifetime. One emotional student summed it up for them.
"Until my dying day, I will be proud of one thing. I danced the taragau dance,” he said.
A month later, the Sika family arranged for a student delegation to travel to Manam to officially thank kukurai Wandama for the permission to perform the dance. A pig donated by the Sikas was given to him together with some foodstuff. In return he gave the students a pig and the islanders showered them with gifts of galip nuts.
As the boat inched away from the imposing peak of the Manam volcano, it was a moment of sadness for the students. Yet they felt a sense of fulfillment. The taragau had returned to its roost and it was time to move on.