Functions of Lang Nginang Ritual Dance in Mengayau Traditional Rite in Belitang

The Lang Nginang dance is a traditional ritual dance of the Dayak Mualang tribe in the Belitang District, Sekadau Regency. This study aims to depict the main functions of the Lang Nginang dance as a part of the Mengayau traditional rite. This study uses a descriptive qualitative approach based on Roland Barthes ’ semiotics as the theoretical foundation. Barthes ’ semiotics is used to identify the sign system from denotative to connotative meaning. The findings show that the Lang Nginang dance serves as a means of communication with the spirits of the ancestors, a means of affecting natural forces, especially those related to the safety of the pengayau , as well as a means to legitimate tradition in the mengayau ceremony. The dance has distinctive features. For example, it can only be performed by a strong dancer dressed in Kapuak tree barks, and the setting must be in a place selected in sacred time, namely the central pillar in a Panjai House with offerings as a part of the mengayau traditional ceremony.