About Wayang Kulit

As you learn more about wayang kulit, it becomes obvious that an Australian viewing a wayang kulit performance will have a very different understanding of what is happening than a Javanese or Balinese person. This is because of the rich social and cultural context that any viewer brings to the text (as a text participant as in Luke and Freebodys Four Resources model). Personal comparisons or connections with Australian (generally English) theatrical traditions will be indicated in italics in the text below. However, students may make connections to other cultural traditions as well. Background Wayang kulit is a famous traditional form of puppetry in Indonesia, mainly in Java and Bali. Wayang means shadow in Javanese and kulit means leather or skin. Wayang has come to mean puppet in Bahasa Indonesia, and is applied to the three forms of Javanese puppets: wayang kulit (shadow puppets), wayang klitik (flat wood puppets), and wayang golek (rod puppets). The wayang kulit art form may be over 800 years old. The fact that the story is told using shadows is very important since moving shadows can be seen but never touched. One belief was that the souls of the ancestors were brought to life as shadows that provided advice and support. So wayang kulit performances have a spiritual and magical significance for Javanese and Balinese people. Everyone present at a shadow puppet performance is believed to be protected from evil influences while the play lasts. People will sponsor a performance to give thanks for someone recovering from illness. The screen represents the white universe in which people live their lives. The bright side of the screen represents the material world in which we live. The darker side represents the mysterious after-life. The blencong or oil lamp was often in the shape of the Garuda bird, and represents the rays of the sun which give life to every living thing. The puppets The puppets are usually made from flattened buffalo hide with buffalo horn rods for support. The only moving parts are one or both arms, which may be hinged at the shoulder and elbow. The traditional cast of characters are intricately patterned and coloured. There are as many as 500 wayang kulit figures in an aristocratic set and as few as 100 in a village set. The manufacture of the puppets is very complicated and involves several different artisans. Balinese puppets tend to be more realistic than those of Java. This may reflect religious differences between mainly Hindu Bali and mainly Muslim Java, as Islam forbids the depiction of the human form. There may be several puppets for the one character. Depending on what the character is doing, the puppet will be shown with different clothing and with different colours to indicate its mood. Gold represents harmony, love of beauty and the finer things in life; dignity and calmness. Black represents more reflective, inward-looking characteristics, calmness and control; but sometimes anger and strength. Red represents physical strength, but a tempestuousness or fury. White represents flexible characters that are knowledgeable and full of life, as well as innocence, youth or purity.

Commonwealth of Australia 2005

Wayang kulit

Characteristics of good and bad puppets

Orang baik yang halus: o slit or almond shaped eyes o bowed head o long pointed nose o no facial hair o little finery o no teeth showing o narrow stance (distance that feet are apart) o slim shapes For example, these characters: Sinta Rama Hanoman Arjuna Orang jahat yang kasar: o bulging eyes o defiant angled head o bulbous nose o facial hair o showy finery o bared fangs o wide stance (distance that feet are apart) o fatter, bulgy shapes For example, these characters: Durgar Rahwana

How does this compare with portrayals of goodies and baddies in western comic books for instance? Does this relate to our own physical features, so that our type is the hero? Some puppets will also be kept in the kotak or box to the left of the dalang. Once puppets are no longer needed in a performance, the dalang may put them in the kotak. Puppets have characteristic movements including the way they walk and move their arms. They also can be accompanied by characteristic music. The size and nature of the puppets depends on their character and station in life as an ordinary person, god or demon. The puppeteer or dalang will have the good puppet characters (halus or refined) standing in the gedebog or banana trunk to his right and the bad puppet characters (kasar or coarse) to his left. This connects with the idea underlying wayang kulit that in every person there is a struggle between good and evil. The banana trunk represents the earth. Smaller puppets are closer to the dalang, and they are lined up from shortest to tallest. The puppets on both sides face in to the middle of the screen. The stories: Like most stories, including modern films, wayang stories often explore the battle between good and evil, and the problems that people face. Javanese puppet theatre performs many cycles of plays from mythical origins to contemporary events. The four oldest cycles are known as wayang purwa, and relate Javas legendary history. Other stories were brought to Indonesia by traders from India. These include the great epic stories such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata. These stories have many sub-plots or sections that can be explored in different versions. Wayang stories involve lots of comments on society, peoples behaviour and humour.

Commonwealth of Australia 2005

Wayang kulit

The language: Much of the story will be performed in ancient high Javanese, since traditionally performances were often held for the entertainment of leaders in the society, who spoke a higher form of the language. There is usually a very popular section in the play where the clown or servant characters enter, and the puppeteer uses the local or lower language and improvises with jokes and comments about local issues. You might like to explain to students that Shakespearean plays are still performed, despite the fact that the language has some archaic features and is not the commonly spoken English of today. In Shakespeares plays as well, clowns or servants are often used for comic relief and to make political comment that normal characters wouldnt get away with. The puppeteer: The dalang must be almost super-human. Performances can be up to nine hours long and for all that time the dalang sits cross-legged, telling the story and providing a voice for each puppet character; singing; moving the puppets; directing the gamelan orchestra and adding sound effects. The dalang must memorise lengthy dialogue and also be able to improvise about the local social and political situations. He may use up to 90 puppets in one performance. It is no wonder that the dalang is not only a respected and skilled artist, but is also thought to have a special spiritual dimension. Many dalangs are born into the profession and learn by working from early childhood with their parents. Although many dalangs are male, there are a few female dalangs, as well as some westerners who have trained to be dalangs as adults. But generally being a dalang is a lifelong calling, passed down through particular families. During a performance the dalang will sit cross-legged in front of the screen, holding a kechrek or rattle with his right foot, and using it to strike the kotak or box just to his left almost continuously, accompanying the story and guiding the orchestra. The performance: The play can be performed outside or inside, with the puppets being moved against a central white cloth screen that is lit up by an oil lamp or, in recent times, by an electric light. The audience can sit anywhere around the screen, but where they sit usually depends on who they are and on their social status. Explain that in our theatres too, people can sometimes pay more for better seats. Although we often have theatres where the audience can only sit in front of the stage, some performances are done in theatre in the round or outside in venues such as parks and gardens, where the audience is free to sit where they like. A wayang performance usually takes place at night, often starting after 9:00pm and continuing until dawn as much as nine hours! This is a social occasion for the audience, and a chance to relax with friends and family. Since they often know the traditional story well, they may sleep, eat or talk during the less exciting parts. A typical performance may be held as a celebration or major community event. Families come to the performance prepared to spend a long time enjoying each others company as well as enjoying the story.

Commonwealth of Australia 2005

Wayang kulit

Wayang plays are performed around the world, including performances that often come to Australia, and are adapted to include comments on Australian society. The gunungan: The gunungan puppet (sacred mountain) signals the beginning and end of the performance as well as strong emotions, changes of scene and the elements of fire, earth, air and water. Note the word gunung means mountain. It represents the place where the gods, goddesses and demons live. It is a holy mountain where the tree of heaven grows. Mountains have been venerated in many parts of Asia since ancient times. For example, Gunung Agung is a sacred mountain to Balinese people. It is also a volcano and a powerful source of both good (rich soil) and potential disaster (if it erupts). The music: A gamelan orchestra will provide music to accompany the action in the story. See the Online resources section for some useful websites about gamelan. The orchestra consists of gongs, drums, metallophones, flutes, rehab (twostringed violins) and other instruments. Performances may also be enhanced with recorded music and sound effects. The dalang will conduct the orchestra, but as the performances are so long, the gamelan players will also eat, chat and smoke during the performance.

Commonwealth of Australia 2005

Wayang kulit