Ningkuk, Entertainment Tradition and Meet Single-Girls in South Sumatra

INDEPHEDIA.com - Ningkuk or Ningkok/Ningko'an is a tradition of playing shawls with musical accompaniment performed by boys and girls in South Sumatra Province, Indonesia.

This tradition will usually be carried out every time there are residents who want to or after holding traditional events, such as weddings, circumcisions and others.

However, Ningkuk/Ningkok 'events' are more often held by the host as the owner of the intention before or after the wedding reception.

History of Ninguk

I don't know which area started this event, but Ningkuk or Ningkok/Ningko'an has been around for decades and has developed in districts/cities in South Sumatra.

Indephedia.com noted that the Ningkuk tradition existed at least in the 1970s. As a means of entertainment and introduction to boys and girls, this tradition is followed by young people.

Even though the Ningkuk event has been around for a long time, now this tradition is rarely done and almost disappeared.

Pick Up Girls

In its heyday, Ningkuk became a means of entertainment and the introduction of entertaining bachelors and girls.

Not infrequently in the Ningkuk tradition there are young couples who fall in love with each other and even meet their soul mate and then proceed down the aisle.

 

The Ningkuk event, in Ogan Ilir (OI) Regency, for example, is usually held in the evening after Isya'.

In the past, the hosts sent young people to pick up the girls at their respective homes with Petromax lights.

After asking permission from the girl's parents, then the messenger and the girl who had been picked up continued on their way to pick up other girls.

Sometimes the girls were not only picked up from one village, but also sometimes girls from two or three nearby villages who had previously been invited to attend the Ningkuk event.

Meanwhile, for bachelors they are not picked up but come alone to the residence of the owner of the intention.

After all the girls had been picked up, they headed to the house of the inviter/owner of the intention to follow Ningkuk.

Ningkuk Procession

As soon as all the boys and girls were gathered, guided by a young couple who acted as judges, the Ningkuk event began.

Boys and girls who have been invited are placed and seated in one location, usually in the front room (living room) or in the middle if those present cannot fit in the front room.

The tools for this game are scarves and music. As soon as the music from the tape recorder or CD is playing, they (male-girls) perform the selendang.

The shawl is carried and draped around the neck from one person to another while accompanied by the rhythm of the music.

When the music stops --at the stop operator---, the shawls that are distributed also stop being distributed.

Those who hold the shawl when the music stops will receive some kind of punishment from the judge, such as dancing in pairs, singing rhymes, seducing opponents and so on.

This Ningkuk tradition usually finishes until midnight or early morning, depending on the duration of the Ningkuk game being held.

After the event and eating the dishes provided by the host, the girls who were previously picked up were escorted back to their respective homes. (US)