“TUKANG ENSERA”: SENI TRADISI BERDEPAN CABARAN MODENISASI “TUKANG ENSERA”: AN ART TRADITION FACES THE CHALLENGES OF MODERNIZATION

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Abang Sallehuddin Abg. Shokeran
Hashim Ismail

Abstract

Awangku Merali Pengiran Mohamed adalah antara pengarang kelahiran Sarawak yang kuat mengangkat elemen perjuangan jati diri bangsa dalam karya-karya yang dihasilkannya. Dasar perjuangan inilah yang diangkat dalam naskhah drama pentas, “Tukang Ensera” yang telah dimuatkan dalam Antologi Skrip Drama Tukang Ensera. Ensera merupakan puisi epik tradisional yang meriwayatkan keperwiraan dan perjuangan wirawira dari suku kaum Iban yang amat panjang. Genre ini hanya terdapat dalam kalangan masyarakat Iban. Ensera sebagaimana puisi tradisi dunia yang lain, turut berhadapan dengan cabaran untuk mengekalkannya daripada pupus akibat tiadanya minat untuk mewarisi seni tradisi ini dalam kalangan generasi baharu dan juga persaingan daripada budaya popular yang jauh lebih menyeronokkan yang hadir secara agresif dengan teknologi moden. Skrip “Tukang Ensera” mengisahkan perjuangan seorang tukang ensera, Akik, yang sudah tua, yang berasa kecewa kerana cucu perempuannya yang bernama Sunti yang diharapkannya untuk meneruskan tradisi ensera, tidak berminat meneruskan warisan itu. Sebaliknya, dia lebih berminat dengan budaya hiburan popular. Pergolakan batin Akik digambarkan melalui konsep penceritaan bawah sedar apabila Akik memasuki dunia enseranya lalu berubah menjelma menjadi pahlawan Iban bernama Remong untuk menentang musuhnya, Mengga. Antara Remong dan Mengga, mereka sebenarnya dua bersaudara yang dihantar oleh ibu mereka turun ke dunia untuk menentang kezaliman. Namun konflik antara mereka berlaku bukan hanya kerana Remong cuba mempertahankan kesucian puteri Menti daripada menjadi mangsa Mengga, tetapi hakikatnya pertarungan mereka merupakan pertentangan antara kuasa baik dan kuasa jahat yang disimbolkan melalui kuasa Timur yang baik menentang kuasa jahat dari Barat. Kajian skrip “Tukang Ensera” ini menganalisis konflik pertentangan antara kuasa Timur dan kuasa Barat dengan menggunakan pendekatan pascakolonialisme. Melalui pendekatan ini, penulis melihat ancaman yang dihadapi oleh seni tradisi yang semakin tersisih bukan sahaja kesan asakan daripada gelombang globalisasi yang datang dalam bentuk keseronokan budaya popular tetapi juga kurangnya minat generasi baru seperti yang diwakili oleh watak Sunti kesan daripada sistem pendidikan moden yang diperkenalkan oleh kuasa penjajah. Mengikut pendekatan pascakolonialisme, skrip “Tukang Ensera” merupakan karya pascakolonialisme yang baik untuk mengungkapkan tentangan terhadap kuasa penjajahan.
Kata Kunci: Ensera, seni tradisi, kuasa, globalisasi, jati diri, budaya popular, pascakolonialisme.


Awangku Merali Pengiran Mohamad is among the authors born in Sarawak who strongly uplifts the nationalistic element of national identity in his creations. This underlying cause is raised by the author in his stage drama script, “Tukang Ensera”, which is bundled in the Tukang Ensera Drama Script Antology. Ensera is a lengthy epic poem that narrates the patriotism and struggle of the heroes from the Iban race through a genre is only found in the Iban community. Akin to other world traditional poem, Ensera also faces the challenge of preventing it from becoming extinct due to the lack of interest in inheriting this traditional art by the new generation, as well as competition from popular cultures which are more enticing, that progress aggressively with new technology. The “Tukang Ensera” script tells the struggle of Akik, an old ensera, who is upset that his granddaughter, Sunti, whom he hopes will pursue the tradition of ensera, is not interested in continuing the heritage, but instead, is more taken by popular entertainment culture. The internal conflict faced by Akik is portrayed through the concept of a subconscious state of storytelling, whereby Akik enters the world of his ensera and turns into an Iban warrior, Remong, to confront his enemy, Mengga, who is actually his own sibling sent by their mother onto the earth to fight against tyranny. However, the clash between the two is not only because Remong tries to protect the innocence of Princess Menti from becoming Mengga’s victim, but in truth, it is also a fight between the forces of good and evil, symbolising the conflict between the eastern power and the evil western power. The study on this “Tukang Ensera” script analyses the conflict between East and West in the context of post-colonial studies. Through this approach, the author observes the threat to traditional arts that is becoming more and more marginalized not only due to the progress of globalisation that has generated excitement toward popular culture but also a lack of interest among the current generation, as portrayed by Sunti’s character, brought about by the modern education system introduced by the occupying powers. In accordance with the post-Colonialism approach, the “Tukang Ensera” script is a great script for its depiction of the resistance towards occupying powers.
Keywords: Ensera, traditional art, force, globalisation, nationalism, popular culture, post-colonialism.

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How to Cite
Abg. Shokeran, A. S., & Ismail, H. (2017). “TUKANG ENSERA”: SENI TRADISI BERDEPAN CABARAN MODENISASI: “TUKANG ENSERA”: AN ART TRADITION FACES THE CHALLENGES OF MODERNIZATION. Jurnal Pengajian Melayu (JOMAS), 28(1), 1–20. Retrieved from https://mjs.um.edu.my/index.php/JPM/article/view/9612
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