Gordang Sambilan as a Representation of Mandailing Art Preservation

Abstract

This literature review examined Gordang Sambilan as a cultural representation through which Mandailing traditional art has been maintained, transmitted, and reinterpreted across generations. The study addressed a gap in existing scholarship, which has commonly discussed Gordang Sambilan separately as a ritual accompaniment, musical ensemble, historical artefact, or object of cultural protection, while less attention has been given to its combined role as a medium of cultural continuity. A qualitative literature review was conducted by purposively selecting recent journal articles, relevant earlier studies, Indonesian cultural policy sources, and UNESCO documents concerning intangible cultural heritage. The selected literature was analysed thematically around cultural identity, ritual and social function, intergenerational transmission, institutional support, transformation, and digital preservation. The review found that Gordang Sambilan represented Mandailing identity not merely through its distinctive nine-drum ensemble, but through its embeddedness in adat, communal relationships, ceremonial practice, musical knowledge, and collective memory. The literature also showed that preservation was strongest when communities, adat institutions, cultural groups, educational institutions, and government agencies shared responsibility for transmission. At the same time, modernisation, declining youth interest, functional shifts, and limited documentation created risks for continuity. The study therefore interpreted preservation as a dynamic process rather than the freezing of an unchanged tradition. Its implication was that sustainable preservation required transmission, contextual education, responsible innovation, documentation, and digital dissemination while retaining community authority over cultural meaning.