Kolintang

www.kolintang.co.id

Kolintang music instrument originated from Minahasa, a place in North Sulawesi, an island in the east part of Indonesia. It is made from light but solid local wood such as TELUR, BANDARAN, WENANG, KAKINIK whose fiber construction appears in parallel lines. It can produce a long sound which can reach high pitch note as well as low pitch note when struck.
     

The name Kolintang came from the sound: TONG (low pitch note), TING (high pitch note) and TANG (moderate pitch note). In the local language, the invitation "Let us do some TONG TING TANG" is: "Mangemo kumolintang". That settled the name of the instrument: KOLINTANG.

www.happyrosbell.blogspot.com

In its early days, Kolintang originally consisted of only a series of wooden bars placed side by side in a row on the legs of the players who would sit on the floor with both of their legs stretched out in front of them. Later on, the function of the legs was replaced either by two poles of banana trunk or by a rope which hung them up to a wooden plank. Story says that resonance box was beginning to be attached to this instrument after DIPONEGORO, a prince from Java who was exiled to Minahasa, brought along Javanese instrument GAMELAN with its resonance box, GAMBANG.

Kolintang had a close relationship with the traditional belief of Minahasa natives. It was usually played in ancestor worshiping rituals. That might explain the reason Kolintang was nearly totally left behind when Christianity came to Minahasa. It was so rarely played that it was nearly extinct for about a 100 year since then. It only reappeared after the World War II, pioneered by a blind musician NELWAN KATUUK, who reconstructed it accordingly to universal musical scales. Initially, there was only one kind of Kolintang instrument which was a 2 octave diatonic melody instrument. It was usually played with other string instruments such as guitar, ukulele or string bass as accompaniment.

Now kolintang had a few intsruments, using Minahasa language these instruments are :

B - Bas = Loway 

C - Cello = Cella 

T - Tenor 1 = Karua

     Tenor 2 = Karua rua 

A - Alto 1 = Uner

     Alto 2 = Uner rua 

U - Ukulele = Katelu 

M - Melody 1 = Ina esa

     Melody 2 = Ina rua

     Melody 3 = Ina taweng 

Here's a few videos of Kolintang music:

This one is playing Ampuruk, a song created by my grandfather Eddy Ward.

This one is music kolintang used in Manado pop song.

This one is just to let you get a glimpse of how fun it will be to play it.

 

Pokoknya dapa inga kampung kua kalo dengar musik ini.

Source:
http://www.kolintang.co.id
http://www.budaya-indonesia.org/iaci/Kolintang

All About Tarsius Spectrum

Picture: www.ecologyasia.com

Order : PRIMATES
Family : Tarsiidae
Species : Tarsius spectrum

Head-body length : 14 cm
Tail length :  24 cm
Weight : 130 grams

The Spectral Tarsier is  amongst the smallest of all primates. Tarsiers are nocturnal, forest specialists.
By day they roost in small social groups in tree holes or crevices, particularly amongst the complex trunks and vertical root structures of figs. At dusk they emerge from their hiding place and will spend an hour or so resting prior to exploring the surrounding forest for their food prey - mainly insects, such as beetles and grasshoppers, or perhaps small vertebrates such as lizards. The young will be left near the roosting site while the adults search for food.

They are supremely adapted for night-time hunting, with  large ears for detecting the movement of insects, and large eyes for nocturnal vision.

Picture: www.minahasalagoon.com

The tarsier's eyeball does not rotate. This is compensated for by the extreme flexibility of the neck, which allows the head to turn almost all the way around. This peculiarity ensures that the large eyes and large ears work in tandem when focusing in on potential prey. The ears are always moving when the animal is awake. Tarsiers can furl and unfurl their ears. Nocturnal predators usually have very large eyes and ears.
In trees tarsiers propel themselves from branch to branch with powerful thrusts of their hind legs, using the soft, disc-like pads on their fingers and toes to grip the branches. On the ground they proceed in frog-like hops, or occasionally, they walk on all fours. When seizing its prey, the tarsier closes its eyes tightly to protect them from injury during the victim's struggles.

Here's two video of Tarsius Spectrum :

 

You can find this cutest endangered primates on earth at Tangkoko National Park North of Sulawesi.

Tinutuan or Bubur Manado

Tinutuan or bubur manado.

Manado is not only famous of beautiful girls, but also the special food that will not be disappointing who eat it. If you don’t believe, just try Manado’s porridge called Tinutuan or Bubur Manado.

Tinutuan means “assorted” , because it is made from many kinds of ingredients and vegetables. It becomes healthy food because of containing much nutrients and fibers that’s good for absorption and health. As popular dish in Manado, North Sulawesi/Celebes, tinutuan can be found in almost every restaurants and street hawkers. Manadonese serve this dish as breakfast.

Tinutuan is very easy to make, take a look at the ingredients below:

Tinutuan with tomato sambal.

 Ingredients:

250 gram long grain rice

2 ears of corn, kernels stripped from the cobs

salt to taste

water

5 long string beans

1/2 cup spinach leaves

1/2 cup kangkung leaves (water convolvulus)

200 gram pumpkin, cut in 2 x 2 cm pieces of 1 cm thickness

20 kemangi (Horappa basil) leaves

 

Tomato Sambal:

Mix finely sliced red chilies, bird’s  eye chilies, shallots and tomatoes together.  Add salt and stir until everything is well-blended.

Methods:

Boil the rice together with the corn kernels and the salt in enough water to cover rice to a depth of  6 cm. After the water comes to a boil, add the long beans, cut in 5 cm lengths.  Cook until the rice is half done; add the spinach leaves, the kangkung, the pumpkin, and the basil.  Simmer tightly covered, until rice is done.  Remove. Serve with tomato sambal, tofu and fried salted fish.

Give it a try. In the meantime enjoy this song 

Video & Picture by google.

Dabu Dabu Restaurant

dabu-dabu's interesting logo.

Manadonese retaurant specialized in Modern Manadonese food which majority people say it is delicious and healthier.

DABU-DABU Restaurant is named after the name of local chili dip from Manado, North Sulawesi - Indonesia which also called DABU-DABU by the locals.

Some of dabu-dabu menu.

Several located in Jakarta and of course at Manado.

Jl. Pierre Tendean
Manado, North Sulawesi - Indonesia. 
P.62 431 854 511

Other Dabu-Dabu Outlet

DABU-DABU PIM 2 express
Pondok Indah Mall 2 Lt.3 #FC23
Jl. Metro Pondok Indah, Jakarta Selatan
12310 - Indonesia
T./F. : +62.21.7592.0707

DABU-DABU GRAND INDONESIA express
Grand Indonesia Lt. 3 Foodcourt I-K
Jl. MH. Thamrin No. 1, Jakarta Pusat 10310 - Indonesia
T./F. : +62.21.2358.0969

DABU-DABU SENAYAN CITY express
Senayan City Lt. 5, Food Studio #515
Jl. Asia Africa Lot 19, Jakarta Pusat
10270 - Indonesia
T./F. : +62.21.7278.1115

DABU-DABU
ELECTRONIC CITY SCBD express
Electronic City - SCBD, Lt. 2
Jl. Jend. Sudirman Kav. 52-53 Lot 22, Jakarta Pusat - Indonesia
T./F. 021.5140.0268

DABU-DABU KELAPA GADING
Mall Kelapa Gading 3 Lv. 3 #FCI-06B
Jl. Bulevar Kelapa Gading Blok M, Jakarta 14240
T./F. +62.21.4587.6414

DABU-DABU PLAZA SEMANGGI
Plaza Semanggi Lv. 3A #FCK-33
Jl. Jend Sudirman Kav 50 Lt. 6
Jakarta 12930
T./F. +62.21.255.39397

DABU-DABU SETIABUDI
Setiabudi One Building Lv. 1
Jl. HR. Rasuna Said Kav. 62, Kuningan - Jakarta Selatan 12920
T./F. +62.21.520.7080