Sound: Kalason oto (often simply “kalason”)

Location: Alahan Panjang, Kab. Solok, West Sumatra

This post is dedicated to Pak Budahar - a real Minang musical legend who literally spread music across Sumatra, providing sweet solace to his passengers for decades. Next time you honk your horn, I hope you think of him.

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What was the last time you honked your car horn? If it wasn’t a precautionary toot, it was surely out of frustration, if not outright anger. The honk is a scream from within our sealed-in vehicles - “Take heed! There’s a human in here!” But have you ever honked with tenderness, with love, with longing? The tukang kalason of West Sumatra have.  

The Minangkabau people of this region are famous for their tradition of marantau, immigrating far and wide in search of a better life (often opening nasi Padang spots wherever they go!) Back in the 1950s, buses journeyed overland carrying migrants from West Sumatra to ports across this massive island - Medan, Pekanbaru, Bengkulu. This was an emotional journey: as they left their village, they looked onward to their future life with trepidation, then looked behind with longing at the home and family they were leaving behind. As the bus climbed the mountains and away, the tukang kalason would play the sweet sounds of home on his musical horn.