Field Report: The Orang Kling of Sumatra’s West Coast and their Musical Self. Voicing the Unheard: Music as Windows for Minorities.

Abstract

In January and February 2014, the authors went on a fieldtrip to Sumatra’s West Coast with Padang as its centre aiming at discovering and analysing traces of Indian music practices within modern Sumatran society. This fieldtrip was not announced in advance and did not allow for preparations on the side of the informants and performers. All the authors found is exactly that what is always available and could be regularly reproduced. The authors’ impact on the scene was comparatively small as Sumatra is an area that is not unknown to the world of thnomusicology. Evidence of some ethnomusicological activities such as documents of research-based projects regarding performing arts of Sumatra could be found in the library of Institute Seni Indonesia of Padangpanjang and in the local Museum of Arts in Padang’s Minang Village. However, this paper is initially focused on providing information about unnoticed traces of Hindustani music and some Hindustani cultural aspects that are still extant in some urban West Sumatran communities. The Indian population of Sumatra is multi-layered from every aspect. It is a minority that includes a number of sub-minorities. Orang Kling musicians are a special case as they are descendants from different Indian origin that were migrating at different times who are now mainly Muslims. Simultaneously, they are those responsible for entertainment, a business that is often challenged by leading religious and ideological opinions. The music they are playing and identify themselves with ranges from drumming in the mosque to wedding music that is Bollywood inspired, and storytelling. Two findings were outstanding: the drum of the Muhammadhan Mosque, mainly used by the Kling, with the flower offerings; and the second are musical objects and practical knowledge excavated from Sofian’s family that is trading in spices and has been the centre of some Kling musicians in Padang and Pariaman. Finally, this preliminary study gives an ethnographic as well as individual account on the musical understanding of this group of Indians among other Indians along Sumatra’s West Coast. While “Kling” has in some other places of the Malay World a pejorative meaning, the Kling of Padang and Pariaman are seemingly proud of their name. The discussion of historical and recent literature as well as some questions arising from it may contribute to understand why this is so and whether the musical self of the orang Kling in West Sumatra expresses a differentiated view on their cultural positioning. The story of the orang Kling and their music in Sumatra can throw another light on the complexity of migration and the history of constructing minorities in Southeast Asia.