THE REFERENCE OF THE REOG

Reog is one of Indonesia's indigenous cultures that is well known by the people of Indonesia and the world. Almost everyone in Indonesia must have known what Reog is, people can see it through the internet, television shows, radio broadcasts, or even just know Reog through what people talk about without knowing what Reog really looks like.

The development of an era that is increasingly advanced and increasingly rapid, encouraging reog to continue to exist in the culture of the Indonesian people and try to remain known to the world, especially still known by young people who have the obligation to preserve reog itself. This is perhaps what causes reog artists in Indonesia to no longer prioritize the main elements of reog itself, namely mysticism or involving reog performances with magical things. People now only know that Reog is just a barongan performance whose performance is almost the same as the Chinese lion dance, using some kind of props involving many people. Now Reog is just a mere entertainment that begins to lose its mystical charm.

Discussion

Reog is a native Indonesian culture, which combines mask art, theater art, music and dance. Reog is thought to have been created around the 12th century. Reog is one of the many Indonesian cultures that is influenced by magical or magical elements. This is largely influenced by the lives of the ancestors of Indonesians who majority lived in the past where at that time was the heyday of kingdoms which of course were still influenced by things that smelled magical, to survive at that time. This happened when the kingdoms were not influenced by the religions that are now embraced by most modern societies. Therefore, the people who lived in the past were very synonymous with magical things such as sorcery, supernatural powers that were mandraguna, supernatural beings, asceticism, and other things that were very impossible if done in the modern era like today. This is what until now there are some people in Indonesia who still believe in the magical powers that have always existed. Until then it was passed on to the next generation, and in the end it still survives to this day.

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Indonesian people are very thick with things related to the magical world, as well as reog shows. Since it was created in the 12th century, reog has been believed to use the help of magical things from other realms to support performances. Like for example someone who carries the mask of the dhadhak peacock, he is the most trusted person using the help of "second creature" from the supernatural to help the show, someone who is behind the mask of the dhadhak peacock is also called warok, he carries the mask of the dhadhak peacock bite it, even though the weight of the mask ranges from 50-60 kilograms. Because the mask is usually made of genuine tiger skin or is now starting to be made from cowhide because tigers have become increasingly scarce and have been protected by the government, the dhadhak mask also uses peacock feathers, but the peacock dhadhak that has now used feathers - imitation feathers for birds peacock can be preserved. In addition to the dhadhak peacock, the dancers also danced a dance that seemed like someone who was possessed so that people also believed that reog dancers were also involved in mystical matters. The reog artists usually fast and meditate a few days before the performance, so the reog show can get help from things that are invisible.

In the city of Ponorogo, reog is one of the elite performances that are usually only displayed on major events & certain events, such as organizing the National Reog Festival (FRN), Mini Reog Festival (FRM) and full moon reog performances (1 suro). Usually reog is displayed when the party is taking place and reog is the top performance that most people are waiting for. The reog performance is usually displayed in a town square because reog involves many supporters of the event and a series of mandatory performances that must be displayed during the reog performance, the show involves dozens of each who has a separate appearance.

In the era of the 80-90s when reog ponorogo became an art that still upheld matters related to mysticism, before the reog performance was held, usually the village elders held a series of events to honor the ancestors. Pilgrimage is one of the compulsory activities that must be done before the reog performance. The tombs visited are usually the tombs of ponorogo ancestors, or important people who are believed to still be part of the creation of Reog and the creation of the city of Ponorogo. Pilgrimage is usually led by a funeral caretaker, accompanied by recitation of prayers by a warok or elder and the owner of the best reog group in ponorogo. This pilgrimage ceremony is usually attended by important people in the city of Ponorogo, such as the head of the house of Ponorogo district, the chairman of the DPRD, the other regent of Ponorogo. After the pilgrimage series was completed, the next event was the caravan of heirlooms, namely the activity of parading 2 heirlooms to the pendopo alun-alun ponorogo, 2 heirlooms were in the form of a single dragon and umbrella called a single wulung. When 2 heirlooms are paraded, the heirlooms are covered with yellow cloth. The two main elements are considered as the legacy of Bathoro Katong, the founder of Ponorogo.

A. The Origin of Reog Ponorogo

Until now it is not known exactly where the origin of the reog itself originated, many regions in Indonesia, especially regions on the island of Java claiming that Reog came from their respective regions, even our neighboring country, Malaysia has claimed ownership of this reog as their culture is brought by people of Javanese descent in Malaysia. This was evidenced by the presence of Dhadhak merak (reog mask) but with a different name, Malaysia called the dhadhak merak by the name barongan dance and the official website of the Malaysian Ministry of Arts and Heritage Culture was displayed. This sparked protests from various parties in Indonesia, including the reog artist from Ponorogo, who stated that Reog's art copyright had been registered under number 026377 dated February 11, 2004. In 2007 the Malaysian government clarified this controversy and acknowledged that Reog was a native Indonesian culture. Until in the end most of the people of Indonesia and the world were more familiar with Reog from the area of Ponorogo, East Java. In the Ponorogo Anniversary Book there is a sentence that becomes an important reference, that is, finally whatever the interpretation of reog ponorogo is in the form that as we see it today remains ponorogo as a city that we love, we defend and preserve as a REOG city which is the pride of the ponorogo community. (Depdikbud, 1996: 8).

There are many versions of stories that develop in the community about the origin of the creation of Reog itself. In his book, Reog Ponorogo, dancing between domination and diversity, Zamzam Fauzannafi explains that one of the most known phrases by most Indonesians about reog ponorogo is about the requirements proposed by a beautiful princess from the kingdom of Kediri to the King of the kingdom of Bantar Angin who wants to marry the princess. The request from the princess was, he wanted a show that had never been displayed anywhere in that era and he wanted the king to bring all the animals in the forest to fill the sari garden in the Kingdom of Kediri. When the king of the kingdom of Bantar Wind on the way to the kingdom of Kediri the king's entourage was intercepted by an imitation tiger from the king of Singobarong who apparently also wanted to marry the daughter of the kingdom of Kediri. Long story short because the king of Bantar Angin was very much & very well trained in warfare, the King of Singarong lost the battle and joined Arak towards Kediri because the king of Singabarong was still a tiger. During the trip to the kingdom of Kediri, the group brought by the king in the form of horsemen, accompanied by gamelan, kempul, kenong, kendang, angklung & slompret. The story that developed in the community was very many & varied due to stories passed down from mouth to mouth from previous people.

Reog's performance has several main characters during the reog performance. Among others are dhadhak peacock or barongan, klana sewadana or klono, pujangganong or bujangganong, warok and jathil. Dhadhak peacock or barongan is the main equipment in reog. Barongan consists of a tiger head (caplokan) made of dadap wood frame, bamboo, and rattan which is covered by the tiger skin of a kingpin or cowhide that is colored tiger skin. Above the tiger head was perched a peacock that was developing its feather which was arranged above the framework of bamboo and rattan. Around the head of the tiger, it was attached to Krakab, which was an accessory to write down the identity of the Reog group, which was made of black velvet cloth embroidered with monte. At the time of the controversy over claims made by Malaysia, the Krakatoa was the main problem, because it read Malaysia on the tiger head in the reog. Klana Sewandana or Klono is a dancer who dances a dance depicting the figure of a king from the Bantarangin kingdom. this figure is depicted with a crowned mask, a red face, big bulging eyes, and a thin mustache. Because the king was in a drunken state of romance, his dance movement also described someone who was in love. Pujangganong or bujangganong are dancers and dances that depict the figure of a young patih who is deft, clever, witty, powerful and very expert in martial arts. This figure is depicted with a mask similar to a giant face, long nose, bulging eyes, open mouth with large teeth without fangs, blood-red face and dense black hair covering the left and right temples. Warok Muda is depicted with a stocky body with chest hair, mustache and bushy bushes and sharp eyes. Whereas the old warok was depicted with the figure of an old, thin man with a long white beard and walking with the help of a cane. Some people think warok dance in reog is just an additional element. Jathil is a cavalryman and is one of the figures in the art of reog, jathilan is a dance that describes the dexterity of horsemen who are practicing on horses. The dances brought by dancers where the dancers from each other pair up. Agility and expertise in fighting on horses is shown by the expression of the dancer. Jathilan was originally danced by men who were smooth and handsome or somewhat similar to women. Jathilanpun dance movements also include dances that are somewhat feminine. However, since the 1980s Jathilan dancers have been replaced by female dancers on the grounds of being more feminine. Impression characteristics of the Jathilan dance movement in Reog are more inclined to smooth, agile and flirtatious. This is supported by the rhythmic patterns of jathil dance movements.

B. The connection of mystical matters with reog

In the city of Reog itself, Ponorogo, there are many reog craftsmen & reog artists who usually gather in a reog community. Ponorogo, which is inhabited by approximately 1 million people, has more than 300 Reog groups scattered in 277 villages. The original Ponorogo reog artists are usually native Ponorogo people who have been very familiar with Reog because they have been taught everything about reog since young. Besides being taught about the basic things about reog and reog appearance procedures, of course the old parents also taught their grandchildren and their followers also taught various magical things or hereditary knowledge for the sake of the sustainability of the original reog performance itself. The mystical element is a spiritual power that gives breath to the art of Reog Ponorogo.

Before the reog ponorogo show began, the supporters of the event, such as the dancers and performers, were preoccupied with self-decorating activities, making themselves as close as possible to all the characters in the old Reog story. In the midst of busy decorating yourself, there is someone who is burning incense and placing offerings in front of Barongan or the lion's head mask (Dhadhak peacock). The goal was to ask permission from the village guardian spirit called "Danyang" so that this mystical performance would run smoothly. In addition to the mystical treats performed before the reog event was held, which until now is still a debate is about warok figures in the reog ponorogo performance. As reported in an article in the Indonesian mass media, it explains that Warok has always been portrayed as a person who likes to wear black and black clothes, has supernatural powers, uses drawstring, even has a shepherd. Gemblakan is a teenager, from 12-15 years old who has a handsome and well-groomed face, who is kept by a warok, and is sometimes more loved than his wife and children. Maintaining gemblak has become a tradition for warok who want to keep their purity in ancient times. The warok often maintains his strength by not having sex with a woman or his wife, but because the warok cannot channel his sexual desires, warok often ventures his lust to the gemblak. Practical practices among warok, identified as homosexual practices because warok cannot indulge lust for women in order to maintain their power. a warok must have a balance between kanuragan or martial arts skills and compassion. The existence of gemblak certainly creates its own interpretation. Many gemblak believers are often used to satisfy the warok's sexual needs, as long as they take their knowledge. However, whatever issues are blown about the sexual life that is lived during their studies, in reality warok stays normal. Can even foster a household with his wife and children. This was also the case of a famous warok in the Ponorogo area called Mbah Wo Kucing, even though in his daily life he was lined up as a warok and leader of the Reog Bantar Angin group but he could carry out the activities like ordinary humans. (Liputan 6, 2002).

The Ponorogo community believes that a warok is someone who has an above average ability, it is obtained from studying the kanuragan and kebatinan knowledge to alienating himself from the outside world for 40 days. In this process, the warok also abstains from having sex with women. So that warok can reach the stage called clairvoyance through a long process.

C. The fading of the mysticism of the Reog

Indonesian culture from time to time has always undergone a change, this change occurs because of the factors of society who really want cultural change, and cultural changes that occur very rapidly that is due to the inclusion of elements of globalization into Indonesian culture. The element of globalization also enters into local culture, national culture, and also global culture, because of the inclusion of these elements there are efforts to preserve and attempt to use culture in Indonesia as well as the utilization of existing cultures. That is the quote from Darsiyah's sentences through a journal released by him. Likewise, Reog Ponorogo, this culture also undergoes a significant change, from reog past which is very elite and only on special and certain shows, now Reog Ponorogo has become a culture that we meet very often. This might be done by reog ponorogo artists so that Indonesian people will become more familiar with the reog ponorogo show, and hope that many young people are interested in preserving the culture of Ponorogo.

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Now, Regeneration of Ponorogo reog artists can be grouped into two lines. In this case the regeneration of the formal pathway (reog festival) and non-formal channels (reog obyog). Thus said the researcher of Sebelas Maret University (UNS) Supriadi, when describing the results of his research entitled "Regeneration of Ponorogo Reog Artists to Support the Revitalization of Traditional Performing Arts and Supporting the Development of Creative Industries". Now the staging of the reog storyline is adjusted to the show venue, if it is related to marriage, what is displayed is a love scene. For the celebration of circumcision or circumcision, what is usually displayed is a warrior story. So now it can be said that the art of Reog has not been as pure as some time ago, many reog performances are now more used for commercial matters than the original reog who still hold the teachings of ancestors. It is not too far away between the official reog festival & non-formal reogogues. This difference lies in not linking reog obyog with all kinds of magical rituals that can support the reog performance. The reog actors only learn about reog a little deeper and are accompanied by regular training to get used to the activity, so that they no longer always have to be accompanied by "second beings". It's different with the reog show in ponorogo which is still very natural, with all the official rules that must be carried out by the actors of reog performance. Whatever the culture of a nation, the original Reog Ponorogo will still be there and still maintain its mysticism, although in the future it will trigger a lot of controversy due to the increasingly modern era, Reog Ponorogo will remain on track with its mystical charm.

Conclusion

Culture is a form of past habit or event that teaches us about various things to live life now and in the future. The good and bad culture is not our reference for the younger generation to want or not to preserve culture. As a successor to our generation we must always preserve culture, because culture can be made as one of the identity of a nation. Reog art can be associated with the formation of national character, where 'character' as a fighting system includes the driving force, the power of movement, and the power of life, and contains the values of moral virtues that are imprinted in humans. The characters that are expected to grow are tough people and not weak characters, like the agile, strong and strong Reog.

If the Reog Ponorogo will indeed survive the beliefs of its actors by including the magical world, of course this cannot be completely eliminated from the reog show. Fundamental things like this are very important because they can be used as a characteristic of a particular regional culture. But because now the majority of the population in the world has the trust that each of them has believed, of course the occult things like this are indeed very taboo to discuss, but this taboo thing is very true until now, maybe even in the future later on. We as humans who believe in the existence of God, are certainly a little hesitant to participate in believing in such taboos, but we know enough, promote and respect the culture and beliefs that have existed since the past.

now the reog artists are trying to introduce and maintain reog in the community in various ways, so that now the reog performance is not too rigid to the official reference of the past rules. The obstacles faced by reog artists are not easy, they have to compete with the era of globalization and the development of an increasingly fast era, with so many cultures from outside Indonesia that are now starting to erode local culture. Because of that, for the sake of the preservation of the Reog, the artists prefer to put aside mystical things so that reog can always be accepted by modern humans today. Hopefully the mysticism of The Reog is maintained and will never fade until the end of time.

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