Heaptalk, Jakarta — The 24th West Kutai Anniversary celebration was enlivened with multiple arts and cultural attractions, one of which was the behempas rotan traditional sport. The competition was held at the Sendawar Cultural Park, Barong Tongkok District (10/23).
This traditional sport, which requires agility, involves two players hitting each other with rattan. According to the Customary Leader of West Kutai Regency Manaar Dimansyah Gamas, behempas is an agility art typical of the Tunjung and Benuaq ethnic groups.
“Behempas is a traditional sport of agility skill from the Dayak Tunjung and Dayak Benuaq tribes in East Kalimantan. Behempas rotan is considered an extreme sport as it combines art and self-defense, where two adult men face each other and hit with rattan on the back of the opponent’s body,” explained Manaar.
As one of the cultural heritage of West Kutai, the regency government has patented this activity as a traditional sport. Manaar said, “The goal is (for this sport) to remain sustainable. I am grateful that the enthusiasm of the participants taking part in these behempas has increased and there are still quite a lot of activists.”
The behempas rotan competition as part of celebrations for the 24th anniversary of West Kutai could be participated in by teenagers. Manaar said that this agility competition was attended by 19 participants from many districts in West Kutai. He hoped that this annual event would continue to be held professionally. For this reason, he asked seniors and traditional sports activists to continue to develop this sport in their respective villages, primarily for the younger generation.
“We should be proud to have a culture that is not fabrication and plagiarism. This is an indigenous culture originating from the Tunjung and Benuaq ethnic groups. I also hope that the participants who take part in this competition will continue to uphold sportsmanship by following all the provisions set by the committee,” concluded Manaar. (Translated by Sinta)