Hudoq I t’s September in Indonesia. It’s


time to plant rice. First, a person in a costume screeches. T is person looks like he is part bird and part dragon. Other people dressed as beasts stomp and screech, too. T e beasts don’t scare the people


who are watching. T at’s because they’re part of a dance called hudoq. It’s a tradition here. T e dance tells a story. It asks good spirits for help so pests and floods don’t harm the rice.


T is ritual is important. People


here need rice to survive. T ey believe the rice is a giſt from the good spirits. T e dance tells about these beliefs. It teaches these beliefs so they are never forgotten. Traditions like these take place


around the world. People celebrate the things that make their culture special. T ey sing, dance, and tell stories to remember the past.


Indonesia ✶ Wordwise


culture: the beliefs and way of life of a group of people


oral history: information about the past passed down through talking, such as in interviews or storytelling


ritual: an act that is always done in the same way and in the same situation


tradition: a way of acting or thinking that has been practiced by a group of people for a long time


SEPTEMBER 2014 23


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24