Wayang Wong Bharata Pandawa.jpg

, also known as ( jv, ꦮꦪꦁ, translit=wayang), is a traditional form of puppet theatre play originating from the Indonesian island of Java. refers to the entire dramatic show. Sometimes the leather puppet itself is referred to as . 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 ''dalang'', an artist and spiritual leader; people watch the show from both sides of the screen.

performances are still very popular among Indonesians, especially in the islands of Java and Bali. performances are usually held at certain rituals, certain ceremonies, certain events, and even tourist attractions. In ritual contexts, puppet shows are used for prayer rituals (held in temples in Bali), 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.

is one of the peaks of Indonesian culture, which is the most prominent among many other cultures. traditions include acting, singing, music, drama, literature, painting, sculpture, carving, and symbolic arts. The traditions, which have continued to develop over more than a thousand years, are also a medium for information, preaching, education, philosophical understanding, and entertainment.

UNESCO designated – the flat leather shadow puppet ('' wayang kulit''), the flat wooden puppet (), and the three-dimensional wooden puppet (''wayang golek'') theatre, as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity on 7 November 2003. In return for the acknowledgment, UNESCO required Indonesians to preserve the tradition.

Etymology

The term is the Javanese word for 'shadow' or 'imagination'. The word's equivalent in Indonesian is . 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 in Indonesia. is an ancient form of storytelling that is renowned for its elaborate puppets and complex musical styles. The earliest evidence is from the late 1st millennium CE in medieval-era texts and archeological sites. There are four theories about the origins of (Indigenous of Java, Java-India, India, and China), but only two favourable theories:


*Indigenous origin (Java): The experts who say that is authentic Indonesian are Brandes, G. A.J. Hazeu, Rentse, Kats and Kruyt. According to Brandes, puppets are native to Java. He presents the results of ancient Indonesian culture, such as gamelan, the monetary system, metric forms, batik, astronomy, how to grow wet rice fields, and government administration. is closely related to Javanese social culture and religious life. Indian puppets are different from Javanese . All technical terms in the are Javanese, not Sanskrit. was not derived from any of the other types of shadow puppet in mainland Asia, but was a creation of the Javanese themselves. This opinion is based on the use of terms related to the stage which are not borrowed from other languages; in other words, these terms are original Javanese terms. 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.

Hazeu said that wayang came from Java. The structure of the puppet is composed according to a very old model (the way of telling the puppeteer, the height of the voice, the language, and the expressions). The technical design, the style, and the composition of the Javanese plays. It grows from the worship of the ancestors. Kats argues that the technical term clearly comes from Java and that was born without the help of India. Before the 9th century, it belonged to the native population. It was closely related to religious practices (incense and night/wandering spirits). Panakawan uses a Javanese name, different from the Indian heroes. Kruyt argues that originates from shamanism, comparing ancient archipelago ceremonial forms which aim to make contact with the spirit world by presenting religious poetry praising the greatness of the soul.
*Indian origin: 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 coastal region of Southern India (Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu) which most interacted with Indonesian islands has had an intricate, leather-based puppet art called ''tholu bommalata'', which shares 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 of the major plays performed, all of which suggest 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.

Regardless of its origins, states Brandon, developed and matured into a Javanese phenomenon. 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.

The oldest known record concerning is from the 9th century. Old Javanese (Kawi) inscriptions called Jaha Inscriptions from around 840 CE, issued by Maharaja Sri Lokapala from the Mataram Kingdom in Central Java, mention three sorts of performers: , , and . means ' puppet show', means 'mask dance show', and means 'joke art'. is described in an 11th-century Javanese poem as a leather shadow figure.

In 903 CE, inscriptions called the Balitung ( Mantyasih) inscriptions were created by King Balitung from the Sanjaya dynasty, of the Ancient Mataram Kingdom. They state , which means 'Galigi held a puppet show for gods by taking the story of Bima Kumara'. It seems certain features of traditional puppet theatre have survived from that time. Galigi was 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''.

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'." 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 earlier. An inscription from this period also mentions some occupations as and .

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 plays are typically based on romantic tales and religious legends, especially adaptations of the classic Indian epics, the ''Mahabharata'' and the ''Ramayana''. Some of the plays are also based on local stories like Panji tales.

File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Yogyakarta Midden-Java. Opvoering van Wajang Kulit spel met Gamelanbegeleiding ter gelegenheid van de vijftienjarige troonsverheffing van HB VIII in zijn oude huis op Sompilan 12 Ngasem TMnr 60043327.jpg, ''Wayang kulit'' performance with gamelan accompaniment in the context of the appointment of the throne for Hamengkubuwono VIII's fifteen years in Yogyakarta, between 1900 and 1940
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Een poppenspeler tijdens een wajang golek voorstelling TMnr 60031943.jpg, A ''dalang'' (puppeteer) in a (wooden puppet) performance, between 1880 and 1910
File:KITLV 3953 - Kassian Céphas - Wayang beber performance of the desa Gelaran at the home of Dr. Wahidin Soedirohoesoedo at Yogyakarta in the middle Dr. GAJ Hazeu - Around 1902.tif, Wayang Beber performance of the desa Gelaran at the home of Dr. Wahidin Soedirohoesodo at Yogyakarta; in the middle Dr. GAJ Hazeu, Dutch East Indies, in 1902

Art form

''Wayang kulit''

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. 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.

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 kulit'' figures (leather shadow puppet)">
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Wajang kulit pop voorstellende Kumbakarna. TMnr 8-276.jpg, Kumbakarna, Tropenmuseum collection, Indonesia, before 1914
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Wajangfiguur van perkament voorstellende Gatot Kaca TMnr 8-273.jpg, Gatot Kaca, Tropenmuseum collection, Indonesia, before 1914
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Wajangpop van karbouwenhuid voorstellende Wibisana TMnr 809-29a.jpg, Wibisana, Tropenmuseum collection, Indonesia, before 1933
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Wajangpop TMnr 4833-101.jpg, Princess Shinta, Tropenmuseum collection, Indonesia, before 1983
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Wajang kulit pop voorstellende Yudhistira TMnr 8-264.jpg, Yudhishthira, Tropenmuseum collection, Indonesia, before 1914
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Wajangfiguur voorstellende de hemelnymf Dewi Tari TMnr 883-13.jpg, Princess Tari, Tropenmuseum collection, Indonesia, before 1934

''Wayang golek''

( Sundanese: ) 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.

Little is known for certain about the history of , but scholars have speculated that it most likely originated in China and arrived in Java sometime in the 17th century. Some of the oldest traditions of are from the north coast of Java in what is called the Pasisir region. This is home to some of the oldest Muslim kingdoms in Java and it is likely that the grew in popularity through telling the stories of Amir Hamza, the uncle of Muhammad. These stories are still widely performed in Kabumen, Tegal, and Jepara as '' wayang golek menak'', and in Cirebon, ''wayang golek cepak''. Legends about the origins of the attribute their invention to the Muslim saint Wali Sunan Kudus, who used the medium to proselytize Muslim values.

In the 18th century, the tradition moved into the mountainous region of Priangan, West Java, where it eventually was used to tell stories of the ''Ramayana'' and the ''Mahabharata'' in a tradition now called , which can be found in Bandung, Bogor and Jakarta. The adoption of Javanese Mataram kejawen culture by Sundanese aristocrats was probably the remnant of Mataram influence over the Priangan region during the expansive reign of Sultan Agung. While the main characters from the ''Ramayana'' and ''Mahabharata'' are similar to versions from Central Java, some (servants or jesters) were rendered in Sundanese names and characteristics, such as Cepot or Astrajingga as Bagong, and Dawala or Udel as Petruk. '' Wayang golek purwa'' has become the most popular form of today.
wayang golek