Private correspondence on tribes in response to a post on the city repair tribe in regards to the monkey chant being integrated into portlands emergent culture.
Learn to Moneky CHANT!
Learn to Moneky CHANT!
First a little history on the monkey chant... or Kecak... from wikipedia.
Kecak (pronounced: /'ke.tʃak/, roughly "KEH-chahk", alternate spellings: Ketjakand , Ketjack), a form of Balinese music drama, originated in the 1930s and is performed primarily by men. Also known as the Ramayana Monkey Chant, the piece, performed by a circle of 100 or more performers wearing checked cloth around their waists, percussively chanting "cak" and throwing up their arms, depicts a battle from the Ramayana where the monkey-like Vanara helped Prince Rama fight the evil King Ravana. However, Kecak has roots in sanghyang, a trance-inducing exorcism dance.[1]
Kecak was originally a trance ritual accompanied by male chorus. German painter and musician Walter Spies became deeply interested in the ritual while living in Bali in the 1930s and worked to recreate it into a drama, based on the Hindu Ramayana and including dance, intended to be presented to Western tourist audiences. This transformation is an example of what James Clifford describes as part of the "modern art-culture system"[2] in which, "the West or the central power adopts, transforms, and consumes non-Western or peripheral cultural elements, while making 'art' which was once embedded in the culture as a while, into a separate entity."[3] Spies worked with Wayan Limbak and Limbak popularized the dance by traveling throughout the world with Balinese performance groups. These travels have helped to make the Kecak famous throughout the world.
Performer, choreographer, and scholar I Wayan Dibia cites a contrasting theory that the Balinese where already developing the form when Spies arrived on the island.[4] For example, well-known dancer I Limbak had incorporated Baris movements into the cak leader role during the 1920s. "Spies liked this innovation," and it suggested that Limbak, "devise a spectacle based on the Ramayana," accompanied by cak chorus rather than gamelan, as would have been usual.[1]
The Below discussion was in response to an add on the Portland Or. based city repair project tribe on tribe.net for a workshop on the Monkey chant. The Monkey chant is currently being popularized at burning man events and taught in workshops around the USA, and is being held at events that ecotrust and the city repair project sets up in Portland. Recently I watched a video by Ecotrusts at their salmon nation event. I was some what shocked to see it honestly, and disappointed in the cultural appropriation that was occurring at the event Though I believe that the people involved have the best intentions, they may not be fully aware that they are culturally appropriating this traditional practice from Bali, and they may not be fully be aware of what they loose in doing so.
In the days of globalization and eclectic global spiritual practices marketed to well meaning soul searchers, we must ask some central questions, to avoid cultural appropriation and find ways to find our own ways of finding meaning that have depth and can assist us in bring new emergent cultures and spiritual practices to life.
Below are discussions I had on the subject with members of tribes Jef and Whelky.
Kecak (pronounced: /'ke.tʃak/, roughly "KEH-chahk", alternate spellings: Ketjakand , Ketjack), a form of Balinese music drama, originated in the 1930s and is performed primarily by men. Also known as the Ramayana Monkey Chant, the piece, performed by a circle of 100 or more performers wearing checked cloth around their waists, percussively chanting "cak" and throwing up their arms, depicts a battle from the Ramayana where the monkey-like Vanara helped Prince Rama fight the evil King Ravana. However, Kecak has roots in sanghyang, a trance-inducing exorcism dance.[1]
Kecak was originally a trance ritual accompanied by male chorus. German painter and musician Walter Spies became deeply interested in the ritual while living in Bali in the 1930s and worked to recreate it into a drama, based on the Hindu Ramayana and including dance, intended to be presented to Western tourist audiences. This transformation is an example of what James Clifford describes as part of the "modern art-culture system"[2] in which, "the West or the central power adopts, transforms, and consumes non-Western or peripheral cultural elements, while making 'art' which was once embedded in the culture as a while, into a separate entity."[3] Spies worked with Wayan Limbak and Limbak popularized the dance by traveling throughout the world with Balinese performance groups. These travels have helped to make the Kecak famous throughout the world.
Performer, choreographer, and scholar I Wayan Dibia cites a contrasting theory that the Balinese where already developing the form when Spies arrived on the island.[4] For example, well-known dancer I Limbak had incorporated Baris movements into the cak leader role during the 1920s. "Spies liked this innovation," and it suggested that Limbak, "devise a spectacle based on the Ramayana," accompanied by cak chorus rather than gamelan, as would have been usual.[1]
The Below discussion was in response to an add on the Portland Or. based city repair project tribe on tribe.net for a workshop on the Monkey chant. The Monkey chant is currently being popularized at burning man events and taught in workshops around the USA, and is being held at events that ecotrust and the city repair project sets up in Portland. Recently I watched a video by Ecotrusts at their salmon nation event. I was some what shocked to see it honestly, and disappointed in the cultural appropriation that was occurring at the event Though I believe that the people involved have the best intentions, they may not be fully aware that they are culturally appropriating this traditional practice from Bali, and they may not be fully be aware of what they loose in doing so.
In the days of globalization and eclectic global spiritual practices marketed to well meaning soul searchers, we must ask some central questions, to avoid cultural appropriation and find ways to find our own ways of finding meaning that have depth and can assist us in bring new emergent cultures and spiritual practices to life.
Below are discussions I had on the subject with members of tribes Jef and Whelky.
FROM TRIBE DISCUSSION:
How can one adapt this monkey chant to the unique emergent culture that is happening in the PNW, or in Portland specifically? Unless the monkey chant inspires a new way of practice you run the risk of culturally appropriating the monkey chant.
Portland can do better than that.
There are no monkeys in Portland out side of the zoo and perhaps Burnside, so how about putting your heads together in prayer and contemplation and attempt to figure out a practice inspired by the monkey chant but that is specific and unique to Portlands regional emergent culture?
How about a salmon chant with actions and movements that are inspired by the salmon, much in the same way that the monkey chant is inspired by monkeys? Or a raven chant, or a bear, or an elk chant with its high pitched whistles and magnificent running herds?
My point being is that what you hope to achieve with the monkey chant could be ten times more meaningful and inspired if it was in relationship to the emerging culture that is happening in the PNW, something new inspired and culturally relevent has a much deeper impact on the people of a place.
How does the imitation of monkeys in Portland resonate with being a Portlander? Or a part of urban Cascadia? Of coarse the monkey chant is much more then just the imitation of monkeys but still to achieve the goal that the monkey chant wishes to achieve with out running the risk of cultural appropriation is a unique challenge and a very inspiring and fun proposition.
The culture that is emerging in Cascadia is amazing and needs to be nurtured. Other traditions can be a great source of inspiration, but taking them as our own just sets us back a step from developing that emergent culture. Its like telling the mother to hold it in instead of push during birth.
RETORT FROM Jef on tribes
LLB~
I completely see where you're coming from. And I do agree with you, nearly fully. Chants have origin and meaning behind them, some are ancient, some are newer than others.
Overall, I would also like to hear about more chants and local chants based on our ancient native lands and occupants. Practicing chants from the local indian tribes would be more beneficial and perhaps empowering vs the monkey chant. You made a good point, we only monkeys in our zoo. Sad but needed.
To each their own.
My Retort to Jef:
Thanks Jef...
"Overall, I would also like to hear about more chants and local chants based on our ancient native lands and occupants. Practicing chants from the local indian tribes would be more beneficial and perhaps empowering vs the monkey chant."
Unfortunately that would still be cultural appropriation. Animist/indigenous practices belong to indigenous people, they are the out come of many generations of relationships between a people and a place. Practicing the traditions of others is like imitating the relationship dynamic of a good friend of yours with his wife... in other words you have to begin your own relationship dynamic not imitate or appropriate that of another's.
Now finding inspiration from the monkey chat and local indigenous traditions is a great place to start. But that doesn't mean we should do what they do, we need to find our own relationships and our own ways of relating.
How did these practices begin in the first place? It was generally speaking the inspiration of one person and it thus inspired others. At this point in history we have some what forgotten this and blindly follow or appropriate something pre-established.
This story I always feel illustrates the point I am making...
A woman is cooking easter dinner with her mother for the first time in her own home. Her mother is sitting at the kitchen table chatting with her while she begins to prepare the ham. The daughter, slices off the ends of the ham and places it in a pot, then placing it in the oven.
The mother seeing this asks her why she cut off the ends.
The daughter replies, "Well thats how you do it I guess I learned it from you."
The mother exclaims, "Well honey I do that because the pot I have for baking hams is too small for the hams to fit in, your pot fits just fine!"
By practicing these traditions that are not our own we run the risk of missing the point and depth that these practices have for the people who originated them. Even for new generations of traditional people the depth of meaning can be missed like in the example of the mother and daughter, this is even more so the case for those who appropriate the traditions of others or imitate them.
Finding inspiration in these traditions and forming our own ways of relating to life, spirit, community and place can create a depth of meaning for the individuals that is both new, original and connected to the ancients, in that we are following their foot steps in establishing our own ways of relating.
I teach on this subject, and more and more people are finding their own ways of establishing relationships with life and place and community that are really rewarding to them, with out offending or insulting those who are members of traditions from other cultures they do not belong to.
The new ways that are established by people are cultural relevant and more meaningful because they are based on relationships that are pre-existing and relevant, ie salmon instead of monkeys, I for one have never seen a monkey in the wild and have no real relationship with monkey out side of base symbolism.
Some one established these traditions... why not us?
whelky-
I agree about the need for bioregional culture,
but I think that culture could only really
emerge from a relationship with the land, as a
natural expression."
LLB-
thats really what I am saying as well.
whelky-
"I'm not sure if the
opposite would be true - if we created a
specific culture, if it could work to heal the
rift between humans and the non-human world.
what're your thoughts? "
LLB-
Thats one of the problems I see in peoples attempts to souly be the creative force in new cultural memes, and my criticism of the monkey chant. Traditional peoples ( or people who create and participate in traditions) rely upon transpersonal sources of knowledge in order to live and be in the world. Transrational lines of communication between the natural world and its human members were and are still today the source of the earths great traditions, mere inspiration and humanistic artistic license as we see in say burning man culture is not enough no matter how intoxicated the person is.
Burning man and its neo-tribalism is a classic example of this another classic example is say the modern primitive walk away Daniel Quinn folks good people but driven mostly by idealism and not so much via transrational guidance from the transpersonal facets of the whole ( located from the point of view of our bioregion.)
whelky-
"I think true creativity of any kind(not that I
think appropriating' the monkey chant is
creative) is working towards a relationship
with nature,"
LLB-
I agree whole heartedly, it is co-creativity that is the real aim, if its not co-creative its an example of human arrogance and the illusion/delusion that we are severed from the natural world. I used to go to ceremonies call the long dance. it was a new ceremony brought by a pueblo visionary from New Mexico for all people to participate in. it was powerful and effective and was only minimally influenced by his peoples culture, just enough so that many people could participate from out side of that culture and benefit from it. The dances came from visions and dreams and from the whole of creation, nature the source of inspiration itself as he put it. This man was a real inspiration to me and really guided how I now see community events, ceremonies and spiritual practices even art as a co-creative practice and relationship between human persons and the whole beginning with where we are, the land under our feet and sky over our head.
whelky-
"since I think that creativity comes
from our dreaming animal body - which is nature
itself. "
LLB-
I really like that notion and agree with you.
whelky-
"in my 'pinion, it's the imagination
that needs to be strengthened in order to enter
into relationship with the natural world. the
poetic and imaginal language that speaks in
resonances and sympathies has been traded for
literalism and cutting legalistic exactness..
and I've been thinking a lot lately about how
our cultural values have been so deeply, deeply
wound into language itself that I can almost see
the crisis of ecology as a crisis of the
constrictions of language. But I think I'm
ramblin' now."
LLB-
No your not ramblin right now at all... I think your absolutely right, and its been something I have been wrestling with for quite some time in regards to bioregional animism. Some times i feel my job is to be a relationship counselor between human persons and the natural world/spirit and its not been enough just to say hey have a relationship with nature/spirit. Originally with bioregional animism I saw that i could not tell any one how to have a relationship with nature/spirit, with other than human persons and the land and sky they live within, and i could not show them my own relationship and say do it like this because every place and people of place will require its own relational dynamic that are unique, to the land and people. But now especially after our first bioregional animist convergence I could not help but feel that the imagination has been stunted and scared by western society to such a degree that its hard to know where to start for a lot of people. some sort of example has to be set so to speak, there is a way of relating as an animist that is damn nearly universal , if there was not we would not be able to identify any thing as animist in general...
So what I have been thinking for a while now ( a number of years really) is that a dance/ceremony that is open to people of all bioregions to come to that will show people how to establish those relationships or light the fire of inspiration, kinda like how my older friends in high school showed me how to talk to girls haha! There has to be a sort of example that is open and adaptable to place that can inspire the imagination and promote a co-creative relationship between people and place again. But this sort of ceremony or dance has to come from spirit, it has to come from a transpersonal source to be effective, it cannot be contrived and simply from a humanistic sense of creativity, it has to come from the act of communion itself with the land and sky and spirit of all that is, starting with where you stand.
So I have been praying for that to come when I am ready to receive it...
I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to learn from the man who brought people the long dance from his visions, it was a great living example for me.
While I am on the subject of transrational stuff, there is a great essay that I posted on my tribe blog on the subject...
people.tribe.net/16064b50-...3ce119ccf5
this has been a nice conversation...
LLB
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