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Wayang Kulit Performance.

Introduction

The film The Year of Living Dangerously, set in Indonesia in 1965, opens with a Wayang Kulit performance. President Sukarno himself described 1965 as the year of living dangerously. The excellent novel by Christopher J. Koch has a vivid description of a performance and the theme runs through the story. These ancient, magical performances are very atmospheric and seem to symbolise Indonesia. Many say that Indonesian politics can only be understood in terms of the Wayang Kulit.

Wayang Kulit performances are sacred and form part of many ceremonies in village and family temples. Usually they accompany temple anniversaries and rites of passage ceremonies, such as baby ceremonies, tooth-filings, weddings and cremations. The performances have three functions in Balinese society: they are instructive, entertaining and religious. Wayang Kulit has profoundly affected the other Balinese arts.

The performances bring together visual art, vocal and instrumental music, drama, literature and dance. The puppeteer has to be expert in all these arts.

Origin

The shadow theatre exists, or has existed, in the lands between Turkey and China. Many think that Indonesian shadow puppet performances originated in India and that they came to Bali from Java between the 11th and 14th centuries. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

Wayang Kulit has been Bali’s cinema for centuries, but it is primarily a sacred matter. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

The first person to describe a Balinese Wayang Kulit performance was Chinkah, a Siamese master of a junk, which landed in Bali in 1846. The king of Klungkung gave a performance for him.

Two types of performance

There are two types:

The night wayang: wayang peteng

The most common occurrence of the night wayang is during a temple anniversary or odalan. Sometimes they are put on as thanks for a prayer coming true or during the celebration of a wedding or birth.

The day wayang: wayang lemah

The day wayang is the most revered of form of theatre in Bali. It is performed for the gods and is regarded as an offering.

Three types of stories

Three types of wayang stories have become popular in Bali:

Wayang Parwa

This depicts stories from the Mahabarata.

Wayang Ramayana

This tells stories of Rama.

Wayang Colon Arang

This tells the story of Rangda the witch.

Puppeteer

The puppeteer, dalang, and his puppets are treated with great respect. Indeed the dalang is a kind of priest and before a performance says prayers to bring the puppets to life. He can make holy water. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

He plays all the characters, in different voices, and controls the gamelan by tapping his foot on his wooden box. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

The most famous dalangs come from the village of Sukawati in south Bali. There are half a dozen families, all related, who pass the gift down from generation to generation. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

The stage 

The audience is separated from the cross-legged dalang by a large white cloth (kelir), about 6 feet in length, bordered in black at the top and bottom and with red squares at the side. Behind the cloth are the dalang, a flickering, hanging coconut-oil lamp (damar) casting fluttering shadows on the sheet, the puppets of flat leather and the dalang’s two assistants (tututan), who sit on either side of him and hand him the puppets. The puppets are all placed in a yellow-green banana log (gedebong), at the base of the screen, ready for action.

The dalang’s puppet box is on his left. The filigree patterns of the puppets show up on the screen when held up against the oil lamp. Heroic figures are on the right and evil figures on the left

Behind the screen is a four or more piece gamelan, the Gender Wayang. It is the most demanding of all gamelans. It is quite an experience to go behind the screen and see how it is all done, but the better experience is to watch the performance. They take place at night and go on for hours.

The stories

The performances are the most literary and sophisticated of the Balinese performing arts. The stories are taken from the Hindu epics, the Mahabarata, the Ramayana and Prince Panji, with much improvisation, sometimes about politics. Jokes are told. Battle scenes are played out.

The dalang speaks in Kawi, which few understand. For the benefit of the audience, four clowns, also played by the dalang, translate and comment on the stories in Balinese. The clowns are the most important characters. In the Mahabarata stories they are Tualen and his son Mendah, servants of the Pandawas, and Delem and Sangut, servants of the Korawas. They are Sudras and have the most individuality of all the characters.

The story is finished in one sitting – unlike in Java, where it can last for several days. The plots usually start and end in the palace and take the viewer to the village and the forest. The village represents civilization, so that dialogues take place in the civilized world of the village, the court, the temple and the home. Battles are fought in the forest, a place where the hero also goes to meditate and make contact with unseen forces.

Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

The puppets

A standard collection comprises about 100 puppets, which are made of cowhide with a tapering buffalo horn or wooden handle. The handle ends in a point and is stuck into the banana stem, which lies at the base of the screen. Each puppet is chiselled, coloured and has a conventional headdress, which provides for instant recognition. They are kept in a wooden chest in a prescribed order: those on top are ritually the most important. The scenic one, the Kakayonan, is the uppermost figure, followed by the Supreme god, Tunggal. Ogres are on the bottom.

The figures are not naturalistic. They have disproportionately long necks, very long arms, and toes that are not in the correct position. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

A special puppet, called the Kayonan, in the shape of a tree, the tree of life, is waved by the dalang to indicate the start of the story. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

It is used to indicate scene changes and the end of the performance. It can also be used to represent a forest, the sea, bathing places, wind, rain, fire or a palace during the performance. More generally it may represent the five elements that make up the universe: air, wind, fire, water and earth.

Puppet-making

The art of puppet-making is passed down from one generation to the next. Apprenticeship takes between two and five years. The puppet-maker will carry out a ceremony to Wisnu and Siwa before he starts and will place an offering daily on a small shrine. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

The puppets are painted using five basic colours: white, red, yellow, black and blue. White is made from animal bones, black from soot and yellow from stones found on Serangan Island in the south coast of Bali. Gold leaf, prada, is used for the Kakayonan and the costumes of the Ksatriya characters. The head is painted first.

The head, torso and legs are one piece. The arms are separate and attached to the shoulders, so that they can move by means of rods tied to the puppets’ hands. They are all dressed, except for the Supreme god.

Life

The puppets represent life. They comprise celestial, human and demonic beings. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

There are not very many Brahman puppets. There are many more Ksatriyas. The visual similarity between the ruling kings and the gods is marked. They often wear the same headdress. This may well have derived from the fact that there was something divine in kingship, especially in Bali and Java in the 10th and 11th centuries.

Some of the puppets can be used for several characters. Major characters would not double up in this way, unless they were linked by a common heritage.

Body colours

The body colours represent symbolically major ideas and values in Balinese society. The colours are the five basic colours: white, red, yellow, black and blue, and a mixture of them. See the chapter entitled Balinese Symbolism in Secrets of Bali for the meanings associated with different colours.

Noble characters have light body colours, flat teeth and slit eyes; whereas coarse ones, like the ogres, are red or brown, have bulbous eyes and pointed teeth.

The music

There are always four gamelan instruments, which comprise the gender or xylophone, the rebab or two-stringed violin, the drum and the gong.

Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

Music accompanies the placing of the puppets in the banana log, announces entrances, supports the dialogue, creates a benevolent atmosphere, and adds excitement to dramatic scenes.

Dalang’s preparations

As he sets off for a performance, the dalang will stop at his gate and feels his hair knot. If it pulsates to the right, he puts his right foot forward. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

It has already been mentioned that the dalang prays before the performance. He prays for protection from witches and evil spirits, for the gods to descend and enter him and the puppets, and for the audience to enjoy the performance. He sprinkles holy water and makes offerings to ensure that the stage is a pure area.

Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

The play

During the play the puppets are placed in the banana log. The main characters, the good characters, are placed on and enter the stage from the dalang’s right. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

The dalang sets the scene and describes the action. He speaks the parts. He needs to know the personalities of the various wayang characters and speak in an appropriate tone.

The most exacting part of the play is the fight against the giants, which usually takes place about 1 am or 2 am. It is the most difficult job for the dalang and is a test of his skill. Energetic tapping of the puppet box by the hammer held between the toes of his right foot always accompanies battle scenes.

After the performance the dalang recites a mantra to bring the puppets back to life symbolically.

Hand gestures

Puppets have stylized hand gestures. These are similar to the hand gestures of the priests, mudras, although priests use both hands whereas puppets only use one hand. See the article entitled Balinese Symbolism.

Symbolism

The music, stage and equipment symbolize the macrocosm. The clean white cloth screen symbolizes the sky. The cloth separates us from the real world of the gods. The puppets symbolize all that exists. The banana log is the earth. The oil lamp, which gives life and energy, represents the sun and the dalang is God. The music symbolizes the harmony of the cosmos and the puppets’ movements harmonize with the music.

The dalang wears headgear, waistcloth and dress, which represent heaven, earth and the underworld. He joins all three together during a performance.

Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

The stage details are also symbolic. The stage is orientated to the propitious mountainward, kaja, direction, or to the east. The cloth has nine holes at the top, which represents nawa-sanga, the Balinese mandala. The lamp is lit with three bundles of wicks, reprsenting the Trinity (trisakti), the gods Siwa (or Iswara), Brahma and Wisnu. The cloth is also red, white and black. See the chapter entitled Balinese Symbolism in Secrets of Bali.

Tumpek Wayang 

As mentioned in the chapter entitled Balinese Calendars  in Secrets of Bali every 210 days is a day called Tumpek Wayang. It is also Kajeng-Keliwon, and special for Wayang Kulit shadow puppets, which are taken out and given offerings by the dalang. It also happens to be very unlucky to be born on that day. Such a child is prone to illness and injury from Kala, the demon god.

To cure the baby an elaborate ceremony called sudamala is carried out by a dalang after a night or day wayang. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

The day wayang: wayang lemah

This version of the shadow play is only performed during the day. Lemah means daylight. It is only for the gods and is a religious rite. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

It is a quiet performance, hardly audible to human beings. There is little or no conflict. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

Two musicians playing large metallophones, gender pemgumbang, provide the music. The music is less rich in tone and colour than the night wayang.

The stories deal with moral and spiritual themes and always relates to the particular ceremony or occasion. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

Conclusion

There may be no strict connection, but one cannot help remembering Plato’s famous allegory of the Prisoners in the Cave in the Republic. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

There are performances in Ubud.

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Introduction

As has been mentioned in many articles, Indian influence has been great on all aspects of Balinese culture. That includes architecture. It is evident in the mandala-like groupings of houses in the villages. The Chinese were a major influence on Indonesian culture, but not on architecture, and neither were the Dutch.

The family compound (kuren) is a centre of religious life for the family and is constructed according to traditional rules. It undergoes periodic cleansing rituals. The materials used have to cope with equatorial conditions, which are hot and humid, and heavy monsoon rains. There are wooden or bamboo walls and thatched roofs. Unlike the rest of Indonesia, Java and Bali do not build their houses on stilts.

Balinese Architecture.

Traditional Balinese houses, temples, rice barns and other structures are built according to traditional Balinese rules, called Asta Kosala Kosali, written down in lontar palm books and interpreted by traditional architects called Undagi. Balinese architects do not design buildings; they merely interpret the traditional rules.

The roles of architect, builder and client are a phenomenon of an industrialized society. Such classification is unknown in Bali.

Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

Materials

Housing consists of a series of small constructions. They mostly consist of wooden pillars raised on a masonry base, which support a roof of radiating beam work, covered by thatch, tiles or bamboo. Roofs are crowned by a terracotta finial (ornament).

The buildings are assembled with very few nails. Tools are simple hammers, chisels, saws, axes and a plane. Walls are generally of brick, tuff or other masonry. Posts and beams carry the load of the roof.

Some roofs are still made of alang-alang grass. This thatch, often 45 cm (18 in) thick used to last for up to 50 years. But nowadays it is almost impossible to get good quality alang-alang and ceramic tiled roofs are more common. They are also less of a fire risk.

Orientation

The Balinese have a highly refined sense of place and orientation. Buildings are laid out in certain positions according to their function. This is described in the chapter entitled Everything comes in 3s in Secrets of Bali. Cardinal points and geographical features determine the layout.

A Balinese compound is made up of five basic elements, the door with its split arch and screen, the main sleeping area, with its open verandah, a raised barn for storing rice, a kitchen and a bathing area. There may be a workshop and a family temple. The family temple is in the northeast. Ideally the entrance would face southwest. The kitchen and rice barn are normally placed in the southerly kelod direction.

The Bale Dangin, the pavilion used to celebrate important rites of passage, like weddings and tooth-filings, is placed in the east. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

The Rules

The traditional methods of construction and rules of proportion are laid down in the palm leaf lontars, some of which date back to the 15th century. Anyone wishing to build will contact an Udangi who will measure the owner. He will transfer the measurements on to his bamboo measuring stick. The point is to construct buildings and courtyards scaled to the size of the head of the family.

A basic wall measurement is the length of the middle finger to the elbow plus the distance between the middle fingers when each arm is fully extended to the side. A little extra, the urip, is added to make the building alive. The urip is the width of the fist with the thumb extended.

Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

The client’s wealth, caste and location are also factors to take into account in configuring the buildings. There are three levels of cost: expensive, moderate and cheap. The rules in the Asta Kosala Kosali forbid the building of a house that is greater, that is inappropriate, for one’s caste. Sickness and even death can result.

The lontars also specify what kind of wood is needed for the various structures. Pillars of a shrine or temple must be cut from a tree growing locally. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

Palace: Puri 

In classical 19th century Bali the king was divine. His residence was the puri. During state ceremonies, the palace was seen as a temple.

The palace was a replica of the cosmos, a sacred symbol. Always square, walled, and courts within courts.

Typically there would be a number of functional areas:

Family temple and sacred areas which the gods were invited to visit during ceremonies.
Public areas for the public.
Royal chambers where the king would meet his nobles.
Living quarters for the king, his father, brothers and male cousins.
Bedrooms of his commoner wives.
An impure area for menstruating women, animals, bathrooms and rubbish.

Taking each block itself and each block in relation to any other block, a consistent pattern emerges. Parts that are more sacred are to the north and east or rather towards the mountains, more profane or unclean parts are towards the south and west or rather towards the sea, less prestigious areas are outside areas that are more prestigious, and public areas are outside private ones. Public areas are towards the front and private ones towards the back.

Entrance gate: Lawang

Balinese entrance gates, Lawang, have niches on either side for offerings to welcome those who come with good intentions and keep out those who don’t.

Rice Barns: Lumbung

We have two ancient Balinese rice barns, one on either side of the driveway as you enter the property. Rice barns have very steeply sloping thatched roofs and are always built high off the ground to prevent rodents getting in and eating the rice stored there. They are the only Balinese buildings raised on piles. Read more about it in Secrets of Bali.

Initial building ceremony

Before construction begins, certain ceremonies have to be performed.

Sacred buildings

five metals, gold, silver, bronze, iron and copper, are buried in the foundations, along with a coconut wrapped around with five differently coloured threads.

Secular buildings

a brick wrapped in a white cloth is buried. The day of the ceremony must be auspicious, as must the day that building starts.

Melaspas: Bringing buildings to life

All buildings must be brought to life and ceremonially purified before they can be occupied in a ceremony called Melaspas. The wood, stone and thatch, cut down and killed for the construction, are, as it were, re-incarnated. All parts are symbolically unified.

Many offerings are made; there are small animal sacrifices, including a small puppy of certain special colours. The ceremony is nearly identical to the ritual used to bring a sacred wooden mask to life.

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