Wayang is a generic term for traditional theater here in Indonesia. If you are looking for an Indonesian “experience” or a souvenir that shouts Indonesia! you will likely zero in on these traditional puppets.
the good, the bad & the ugly
Wayang Golek is a Sundanese art performance in which wooden puppets are used to tell a story. Both wooden and shadow puppets are popular here among Indonesians. Each puppet represents a human characteristic such as anger, greed, benevolence, etc. With each puppet show, a story is told and supposedly there is always a moral message.
Each wooden puppet performance lasts at least 7 hours, beginning in the evening and continuing until early morning. I have heard that the best puppeteers make $6,000 (US) per performance – a huge sum of money, especially in a poor country! You can see more wayang golek puppets by searching youtube.com but most of them are fairly poor quality. I did find the clip below which gives some insight into the different puppets “personalities” if you will.
Saung Angklung Udjo performace includes 15 minute introduction to waylang golek puppets
the covering is removed to allow audience to watch the puppeteer at work
puppets for sale at a local tourist attraction
These wooden doll puppets are operated by a puppeteer situated below using rods connected to the hands and a central control rod that runs through the body to the head. Their construction us fairly simple but they are amazingly expressive in their movements. Today, Wayang Golek is mainly associated with Sundanese culture of West Java. However the wooden wayang also known in Central Java as Wayang Menak, originated from Kudus Central Java.
take one home? (not me)
Little is known about the history of Wayang Golek, 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 Wayang Golek are from the north coast of Java. This is home to some of the oldest Muslim kingdoms in Java and it is likely the wayang golek grew in popularity through telling the Wayang Menak 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. Legendary origins of Wayang Golek attribute their invention to the Muslim saint Wali Sunan Kudus, who used the medium to proselytize Muslim values (yep, that came straight out of Wikipedia)!
Enjoyed the video. They put a lot of effort into making the puppets and so much into their personalities. A 7 hour performance wow.......and I thought some operas were long at 3 and 4 hours!
Enjoyed the video. They put a lot of effort into making the puppets and so much into their personalities. A 7 hour performance wow.......and I thought some operas were long at 3 and 4 hours!
ReplyDeleteThere's no puppet in the world who could keep me awake all night long! HA
ReplyDelete