Guinness World Records In Hand

Posted on October 19th, 2010 at 12:05 am by Farah Fitriani

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GNFI once posted an article about a young boy who listed his name in the Guinness world record because of his  ability to memorize 76 rows of numbers in only 60 minutes. the name of the smart Indonesian young boy is Brian Dominic (whose age was only 12 years old), he broke the record last year (read the post here).  This year, Indonesia attempted 3 different records on July, all of the records are new, and it all occurred in Minahasa, North Sulawesi.

The attempting of the records was organized by Benny Mamoto, an Indonesian who works as a police officer and known because of his achievements in breaking many local records. breaking those records is just his unique way to conserve Indonesian culture, especially Sulawesi. Thanks to him, there are a lot of Indonesian culture that has been preserved, both in local and international.

It was witnessed by Guinness World Records representative, Aleksandr Vypirailenko. He wrote an article about his memorable journey to Sulawesi, how he was inspired by our nature and cultural traditions, and how he enjoyed being there. be pleased to read :)

On 7 July 2010, I had the pleasure of attending three different Guinness World Record attempts in Minahasa, North Sulawesi region of Indonesia.

The three record attempts in question were the largest seashell ensemble, the longest bamboo rice and the longest hand woven sheet of silk.

The festival was organised by Mr. Benny Mamoto, already a Guinness WorldRecords record holder in four separate categories. Of course, Mr. Mamoto had help from the Art and Cultures Institute of North Sulawesi, Iyarita W. Mawardi, PT. Bilina Bina Cendekia and numerous dedicated staff who made this wonderful festive period a possibility.

The day started at Watu Pinabetengan, a sacred place in the mountains, where several centuries ago Minahasan ancestors confirmed union and togetherness as the people of Minahasa.

On arrival to the site, we were greeted by ‘Kabasaran’ war dance, who then invited guests to the stage, where we were treated to a programme full of dancing, acting, playing of instruments and important speeches.


To close this first stage of the event we then witnessed the first record attempt for the largest seashell ensemble. A local group of musicians entered on stage with each holding their seashell in hands. It was great to see such a wide range of people of different age groups getting involved, since the youngest participant was only 6 and the oldest 70 years old.


The ensemble sounded great and something which I have never heard before. The final count was confirmed at 339 participants, which set the first Guinness World Record for this category!

We then continued the festivities down the mountain at Pinabetengan Village, where along the road the organisers managed to erect a holding structure for another Guinness World Record attempt for the longest bamboo rice. This is a traditional local dish in which rice is cooked in bamboo leaves and bamboo itself. The line was measured at a total 1.6 km (0.99 mi) which was once again a new Guinness World Record and the first record of this category!

The day finished with more performances by local dance groups and yet another Guinness World Record attempt for the longest hand woven sheet of silk. The sheet of silk was made by a local craftswoman who spent most of the day making this sheet according to local traditions and colours. Once the minimum length was reached, the sheet was taken out outside and stretched around in a semi-circle for everyone to see. The total length reached was 101 m (331.36 ft), which is a new Guinness World Record!


Overall, this day was something I have never experience before and was pleasantly surprised by the deep traditions and rituals of this wonderful region and its people. I would like to say a big thank you to all of the organisers and especially Mr. Benny Mamoto for inviting me on behalf Guinness World Records to adjudicate three different record attempts and be part of a special festival.


Thank you and congratulations!

By Aleksandr Vypirailenko

News Source: Guinness World Records official site

Photo Source: Guinness World Records official site

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