Inang

COSTUMES OF INANG

SKU: S104835000184998340

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SGD 500

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ABOUT THE COSTUMES

Inang is another genre, next to Zapin, to be associated with royalty. It is originated from the time of Malacca Sultanate. In the past, both song and dance were taught to the dancers for them to perform it during royal functions. The dance’s movements and its music are so graceful and have all the qualities for court performances (Farah Mirrudin, 2016).

However, how exactly does this rich history relate to their costumes?

Now, because of their royal history, Inang, is the only dance genre where they incorporate the Songket cloth into their costumes. Songket is one of the most expensive fabrics in the world, costing over SGD 1500.

This is the unique aspect of Inang.

What is a Cekak Musang?

This is a long sleeved shirt which has a raised stiff collar known as the Cekak Musang (fox's leash) collar, a chest pocket on the left and two pockets located below (like in your normal suit jackets or blazers). The cut of the Baju Melayu is to the middle of the thigh but in a more loose fit than a normal shirt or jacket (Rigval Reza, 2015).

Take a look at Slide 3 to have a visualization of the unique collar!

The Women

In the past, Inang was mainly performed by only the ladies, with very modest movements following the strict palace customs and protocols.

This very fact contributed to the costume for the women. They would don a Baju Kurung or Baju Kebaya, Songket material, Selendang (Slide 2) and Sanggul (Slide 3) (Farah Mirrudin, 2016).

Inang has the most costumes variation for the ladies among the four genres.

The Men

Although Inang was mainly for the ladies, the men too had a unique aspect surrounding their costumes.

The men would don a garment called Cekak Musang, Kain Samping as well as Songkok. However, a Songkok can be replaced with a Tanjak for a lavish look as seen in Slide 3.

On Songket

The word ‘Songket‘ comes from the word 'Sungkit' in Malay and Indonesian. Sungkit means ‘touched’ or ‘knitting’. The work of carrying out and pulling gold or silver based threads to produce cloth sheets can also be sung with Songket. Therefore, the weaving is the reason of the high cost (Nur Songket, n.d).

The uniqueness of patterns and motifs on Songket fabric also reflects the good identity of the Malays and is rich in cultural beauty and customs (Nur Songket, n.d).