( , , , , ultimately from Old Javanese ) is a traditional Java-origin dramatic performance in which a story is represented (by puppets, by dancers) invented by the indigenous Javans (the Javanese and Sundanese) — the Native Indonesian ethnic groups. The term refers both to the show as a whole and the puppet in particular. Performances of wayang puppet theatre are accompanied by a gamelan orchestra in Java, and by gender wayang in Bali. The dramatic stories depict mythologies, such as episodes from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, as well as local adaptations of cultural legends. Traditionally, a is played out in a ritualized midnight-to-dawn show by a , an artist and spiritual leader; people watch the show from both sides of the screen.
performances are popular among Indonesians, especially in the islands of Java and Bali. They are usually held at certain rituals, ceremonies, events as well as tourist attractions. In ritual contexts, puppet shows are used for prayer rituals in Balinese temples, ritual (cleansing children from bad luck), and ritual (thanksgiving to God for the abundant crops). In the context of ceremonies, usually it is used to celebrate (Javanese wedding ceremony) and (circumcision ceremony). In events, it is used to celebrate Independence Day, the anniversaries of municipalities and companies, birthdays, commemorating certain days, and many more. Even in the modern era with the development of tourism activities, puppet shows are used as cultural tourism attractions.
Etymology The term is the Javanese word for 'shadow'Mair, Victor H. Painting and Performance: Picture Recitation and Its Indian Genesis. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1988. p. 58. or 'imagination'. The term is used in the Javanese ngoko register and its equivalent is . In Indonesian, it is called .
In modern daily Javanese and Indonesian vocabulary, can refer to the puppet itself or the whole puppet theatre performance.
History
is the traditional puppet theatre of Indonesia. It is an ancient form of storytelling known for its elaborate puppets and complex musical styles. The earliest evidence of comes from medieval-era texts and archeological sites dating from late 1st millennium CE.
Shadow play, the earliest form of shadow puppet theatre, likely originated in Central Asia-China or in India in the 1st millennium BCE.Fan Pen Chen (2003), Shadow Theaters of the World, Asian Folklore Studies, Vol. 62, No. 1 (2003), pp. 25-64 By at least around 200 BCE, the figures on cloth seem to have been replaced with puppetry in Telugu Indian tholu bommalata shows. These are performed behind a thin screen with flat, jointed puppets made of colorfully painted transparent leather. The puppets are held close to the screen and lit from behind, while hands and arms are manipulated with attached canes and lower legs swinging freely from the knee.
Regardless of its origins, developed and matured into a Javanese phenomenon. Theater scholar James Brandon argues that there is no true contemporary puppet shadow artwork in either China or India that has the sophistication, depth, and creativity expressed in in Java, Indonesia. According to Brandon, the puppets of are native to Java. He states is closely related to Javanese social culture and religious life, and presents parallel developments from ancient Indonesian culture, such as gamelan, the monetary system, metric forms, batik, astronomy, wet rice field agriculture, and government administration. He asserts that was not derived from any other type of shadow puppetry of mainland Asia, but was an indigenous creation of the Javanese. Indian puppets differ from , and all technical terms are Javanese, not Sanskrit. Similarly, some of the other technical terms used in the found in Java and Bali are based on local languages, even when the play overlaps with Buddhist or Hindu mythologies.
G. A. J. Hazeu also says that came from Java. The puppet structure, puppeteering techniques, and storytelling voices, language, and expressions are all composed according to old traditions. The technical design, the style, and the composition of the Javanese plays grew from the worship of ancestors.
J. Kats argues that the technical terms come from Java and that was born without the help of India. Before the 9th century, it belonged to the Javanese. It was closely related to religious practices, such as incense and night / wandering spirits. Panakawan uses a Javanese name, different from the Indian heroes.
A. C. Kruyt argues that originated from shamanism, and makes comparisons with ancient archipelago ceremonial forms which aim to contact the spirit world by presenting religious poetry praising the greatness of the soul.
Origin in India Hinduism and Buddhism arrived on the Indonesian islands in the early centuries of the 1st millennium, and along with theology, the peoples of Indonesia and Indian subcontinent exchanged culture, architecture, and traded goods. Puppet arts and dramatic plays have been documented in ancient Indian texts, dated to the last centuries of the 1st millennium BCE and the early centuries of the Common Era. Further, the eastern coastal region of India (Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu), which most interacted with Indonesian islands, has had traditions of intricate, leather-based puppet arts called tholu bommalata, tholpavakoothu, and rabana chhaya, which share many elements with .
Some characters such as the Vidusaka in Sanskrit drama and Semar in are very similar. Indian mythologies and characters from the Hindu epics feature in many major plays, which suggests possible Indian origins, or at least an influence in the pre-Islamic period of Indonesian history. Jivan Pani states that developed from two art forms from Odisha in eastern India: the Ravana Chhaya puppet theatre and the Chhau dance.
Records The oldest known record concerning is from the 10th century. In 903 CE, the Dalinan charter was issued by King Balitung of the Sanjaya dynasty of the Ancient Mataram Kingdom. It describes a wayang performance: , which means 'Galigi held a puppet show, as service to the gods, telling the story of Bima Kumara'. It seems certain features of traditional puppet theatre have survived from that time. Galigi may have been an itinerant performer who was requested to perform for a special royal occasion. At that event he performed a story about the hero Bhima from the Mahabharata.
Old Javanese inscription called Kuṭi, probably issued in the mid-10th century by Maharaja Sri Lokapala from East Java, mention three sorts of performers: (), (), and / (). is described in an 11th-century Javanese poem as a leather shadow figure.
Mpu Kanwa, the poet of Airlangga's court of the Kahuripan kingdom, writes in 1035 CE in his kakawin (narrative poem) Arjunawiwaha, "", which means, "He is steadfast and just a screen away from the 'Mover of the World'." As is the Javanese word for the screen, the verse eloquently comparing actual life to a performance where the almighty (the mover of the world) as the ultimate (puppet master) is just a thin screen away from mortals. This reference to as shadow plays suggested that performance was already familiar in Airlangga's court and tradition had been established in Java, perhaps even earlier. Inscriptions from this period also mention some occupations as and .
Art form Wayang kulit
is a unique form of theatre employing light and shadow. The puppets are crafted from buffalo hide and mounted on bamboo sticks. When held up behind a piece of white cloth, with an electric bulb or an oil lamp as the light source, shadows are cast on the screen. The historically popular typically is based on the Hindu epics the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. Some of the plays are also based on local stories like Panji tales.
are without a doubt the best known of the Indonesian . means 'skin', and refers to the leather construction of the puppets that are carefully chiselled with fine tools, supported with carefully shaped buffalo horn handles and control rods, and painted in beautiful hues, including gold. The stories are usually drawn from the Hindu epics the Ramayana and the Mahabharata.
There is a family of characters in Javanese called punokawan; they are sometimes referred to as "clown-servants" because they normally are associated with the story's hero, and provide humorous and philosophical interludes. Semar is actually the god of love, who has consented to live on earth to help humans. He has three sons: Gareng (the eldest), Petruk (the middle), and Bagong (the youngest). These characters did not originate in the Hindu epics, but were added later.Eckersley. M. (ed.) 2009. Drama from the Rim: Asian Pacific Drama Book. Drama Victoria. Melbourne. 2009. (p. 15) They provide something akin to a political cabaret, dealing with gossip and contemporary affairs.
The puppet figures themselves vary from place to place. In Central Java, the city of Surakarta (Solo) and city of Yogyakarta have the best-known traditions, and the most commonly imitated style of puppets. Regional styles of shadow puppets can also be found in Temanggung, West Java, Banyumas, Cirebon, Semarang, and East Java. Bali's are more compact and naturalistic figures, and Lombok has figures representing real people. Often modern-world objects as bicycles, automobiles, airplanes and ships will be added for comic effect, but for the most part the traditional puppet designs have changed little in the last 300 years.
Historically, the performance consisted of shadows cast by an oil lamp onto a cotton screen. Today, the source of light used in performance in Java is most often a halogen electric light, while Bali still uses the traditional firelight. Some modern forms of such as (from Bahasa Indonesia, since it uses the national language of Indonesian instead of Javanese) created in the Art Academy at Surakarta (STSI) employ theatrical spotlights, colored lights, contemporary music, and other innovations.
Making a figure that is suitable for a performance involves hand work that takes several weeks, with the artists working together in groups. They start from master models (typically on paper) which are traced out onto skin or parchment, providing the figures with an outline and with indications of any holes that will need to be cut (such as for the mouth or eyes). The figures are then smoothed, usually with a glass bottle, and primed. The structure is inspected and eventually the details are worked through. A further smoothing follows before individual painting, which is undertaken by yet another craftsman.
Finally, the movable parts (upper arms, lower arms with hands and the associated sticks for manipulation) mounted on the body, which has a central staff by which it is held. A crew makes up to ten figures at a time, typically completing that number over the course of a week. However, there is not strong continuing demand for the top skills of craftspersons and the relatively few experts still skilled at the art sometimes find it difficult to earn a satisfactory income.Simon Sudarman, 'Sagio: Striving to preserve wayang', The Jakarta Post, 11 September 2012.
The painting of less expensive puppets is handled expediently with a spray technique, using templates, and with a different person handling each color. Less expensive puppets, often sold to children during performances, are sometimes made on cardboard instead of leather.
Wayang golek
are three-dimensional wooden rod puppets that are operated from below by a wooden rod that runs through the body to the head, and by sticks connected to the hands. The construction of the puppets contributes to their versatility, expressiveness and aptitude for imitating human dance. is mainly associated with the Sundanese culture of West Java. In Central Java, the wooden is also known as (), which originated from Kudus, Central Java.