KBRN, Jakarta: Three figures were officially honored as legends of Bali’s traditional jegog music on Sunday, December 21, 2025, after decades of shaping, innovating, and elevating the bamboo-based art form of Jembrana to national and international stages.

The recognition and inauguration were announced during the Jegog Spirit Festival 2025 at Anjungan Cerdas Mandiri Rambut Siwi, Mendoyo Subdistrict, Jembrana Regency, Bali.

“Jegog is a cultural identity for the people of Jembrana. This traditional art continues to endure across generations and eras,” said I Made Kembang Hartawan, Regent of Jembrana, as quoted by Antara.

He added that he shared the views of observers, practitioners, and enthusiasts in bestowing the title of legend upon Kiang Geliduh, Suprig, and Ketut Swentra for their contributions to the bamboo-based musical tradition.

These three figures hold pivotal roles in the history of jegog, which was officially recognized as an intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Education and Culture in 2018.

Kiang Geliduh, from Sebual hamlet, is believed to have created jegog in 1912. Initially, the music served as entertainment for farmers, while its powerful sound also functioned as a call for communal cooperation.

As time passed, Suprig expanded jegog’s scope by integrating it with dance and the traditional martial art silat. His innovations transformed jegog from simple farmers’ entertainment into a dynamic stage performance that remains vibrant today.

Ketut Swentra, affectionately known as “Pekak (Grandfather) Jegog,” brought the art to the international stage. Through the Yayasan Jegog Suar Agung, he performed in several countries, including a landmark appearance at the opening of the 1998 FIFA World Cup in France.

The foundation’s headquarters and training center in Sangkaragung Village, Jembrana Subdistrict, continues to attract foreign visitors eager to learn jegog or experience its lively rhythms.

I Made Budi Adiana, Head of the Bali Provincial Bureau of Procurement and Economic Affairs, noted that the festival provided a platform for jegog artists to express themselves, encouraged the regeneration of performers, and strengthened the role of youth in preserving ancestral heritage amid globalization and modernization.

The Jegog Spirit Festival 2025 featured around 1,500 artists from 75 jegog ensembles.