TRADISI TARI SEUDATI MASYARAKAT KOTA LHOKSEUMAWE ACEH (Analisis Epestimologi Islam Burhani Gerakan Dan Syair)

Abstract

The term seudati originated from the Arabic word syahadatain, which means to declare or submit oneself to Islam by way of expressing the two syahadat sentences. Seudati is also an Acehnese art of dancing with its own distinct nature of music, using the dancers' bodies to produce music by hitting their chests, snapping fingers, and stomping legs. Seudati is laso the most popular and fancied dance among the Acehnese. The popularity of this dance reaches the whole of Indonesia, overseas even. This research aims to identify and describe the Seudati dance of the people of Lhokseumawe City in Aceh using the burhani epistemology analysis. The purpose of Seudati is to give positive values in mediating Islamic-based art and to persuade the society to be more sensitive to Acehnese culture, especially Seudati. Furthermore, it can push the younger Muslim generation to continue preserve and maintain the existence and relevance of Seudati, as well as increasing our love to out own art and culture by implementing Islamic values in our daily lives within the society and to foster our morale in defending Islam and fending off the influence of foreign cultures detrimental to the Islamic values within the society.  This study was a qualitative-approached field research. The subject for this research was determined using a non-probability sampling technique, which is thesnowball sampling. The primary data source was the Lhokseumawe Culture and Tourism Agency, Lhokseumawe Aceh Cultural Council, Cut Mutia Studio, syekh, videos, recordings, artists, and the society. Secondary data originated from books, archives, journals, and documents on Seudati. The methods used in collecting the data were observation, interview, and documentation. The data was analyzed using the non-statistical analytical-descriptive method. The general finding of this research was the Seudati dance condition in Lhokseumawe. The specific findings were: (1) The inception of Seudati within the Acehnese society originated from the aesthetical creativity of early Acehnese society; it was a dance of the coastal communities. (2) the purpose, benefit, and wisdom behind Seudati were to disseminate words of dakwah, unite Acehnese against colonialists, as well as to persuade people into Islam through art, and as a medium to express one's cultural creativitity, in addition to entice the younger generation to conserve their culture and avoid the loss of one's distinctive culture. (3) each move symbolizes specific meanings, hitting one's chest symbolizes the strength of the Acehnese; group shows the unity of the Acehnese in solving issues, and demonstrates the moves of those practicing silat, as Acehnese was forbidden from practicing the martial art by the Dutch. (4) the lyrics tell a variety of stories, be it the history of Aceh, sultans of Aceh, religious stories, and some narrate concurrent events; (5) Seudati contains certain values advocating for the tightening of kinship and to urge Acehnese to conserve Seudati and evoke unity among Muslims, as they have the same faith. (6) Seudati was initially performed while sitting, and as time goes on, it was performed while standing. During its formation years, Seudati went through rapid progress, as the show usually lasted for a long time, and question and answer sessions would be conducted for each move and lyrics. Currently, Seudati's musicis going through some changes, as the music is played using a combination of instruments such as drums, guitars, and flutes, among others.