In Java, when night falls, a lamp is lit behind a white screen in a courtyard or under a pavilion. A man sitting cross-legged moves figures of carved leather, gives voice to dozens of characters and leads an orchestra of gongs and metallophones. The performance can last until dawn. This is wayang kulit, Javanese shadow theatre, one of the most refined forms of ritual theatre in Asia.
What "wayang kulit" means
Wayang denotes puppet theatre and, by extension, shadow; kulit means "skin". The puppets are in fact made from tanned buffalo hide, carved with lace-like precision, painted and gilded, and mounted on horn rods. Each figure has proportions, colours and postures that indicate its character: slender noses and lowered gaze for refined nobles, massive bodies and round eyes for giants and impulsive characters.
The elements of the stage
A traditional performance rests on a few elements charged with meaning.
| Element | Javanese name | Function |
|---|---|---|
| cloth screen | kelir | the world on which the shadows appear |
| oil lamp | blencong | the light that gives life to the figures |
| banana trunk | gedebog | the earth in which the puppets are planted |
| orchestra | gamelan | the rhythm and atmosphere of the story |
| narrator | dalang | voice, hand and mind of the performance |
In many traditional interpretations this arrangement is read as an image of the cosmos: the screen is the world, the lamp is divine light, the dalang is the one who moves the creatures.
The dalang, priest and artist
The dalang is much more than a puppeteer. He must know long narrative cycles by heart, be able to sing, direct the gamelan with taps of a small mallet and metal plates, improvise comic dialogue, and weave together philosophy and current affairs. For an entire night he speaks in different voices, male and female, noble and common.
Traditionally the craft was passed down in families, and the dalang was surrounded by a respect close to that reserved for a religious figure. Before an important performance he makes offerings and prayers, because what is about to happen is not merely entertainment.
The stories: Indian epic, Javanese voice
The classical repertoire is based above all on the great Indian poems, the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, reworked over centuries in Javanese forms. Alongside the Indian characters appear local figures such as the punakawan, the servant-clowns who accompany the heroes.
The most important is Semar: fat, clumsy, of ambiguous appearance, yet in Javanese tradition an ancient god hidden under humble guise, wiser than the princes he serves. His figure expresses a profound idea of Javanese culture: wisdom often hides where one least expects it.
The gunungan, tree-mountain
At the beginning and end of the performance, and at moments of transition between scenes, the dalang uses a special figure shaped like a leaf or a flame, the gunungan or kayon. It represents the mountain and the tree of life, carved with animals, gates and plant motifs. When the gunungan is planted in the centre of the screen, the world is at rest; when it moves, the story begins or changes.
Wayang as ritual: the ruwatan
Besides festive performances there is a properly ritual use of wayang: the ruwatan. This ceremony enacts the story of Batara Kala, a devouring being who, according to tradition, is entitled to feed on certain categories of people considered exposed to misfortune, such as an only child. The performance, given by an experienced dalang, aims to free these people from the threat: the dalang, through his words, persuades Kala to give up his prey.
Here theatre becomes a ritual act: telling the story in the right way means acting upon the symbolic reality of the person.
A recognised art
Wayang has accompanied the history of Java through Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam. Tradition attributes to some of the Muslim saints who spread Islam on the island the use of wayang as a means of preaching. UNESCO has recognised Indonesian puppet theatre as part of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
In short
- Wayang kulit is Javanese shadow theatre, with figures of carved buffalo hide.
- Screen, lamp, banana trunk and gamelan form a symbolic image of the cosmos.
- The dalang is narrator, musician and an almost priestly figure.
- Semar, a god hidden in the garb of a servant, embodies humble wisdom.
- The ruwatan uses the performance as a rite of liberation from the threat of Batara Kala.
