Lumanary 2017 Spring

ayang is the art of puppetry in Indonesia, a

practice that dates to at least the 10

century.

An art of performance, its stories reveal both

the history and cultural practices of Indonesian peoples,

particularly those on the island of Java. The new exhibit

Wayang: The Art of Indonesian Puppetry

addresses themes

of religion, moral education, and politics. Nine Loyola

undergrads from anthropology and art history curated

the exhibit, drawing on wayang from the Department of

Anthropology’s MayWeber Ethnographic Study Collection.

We consideredwayang as formof global heritage, and visitors

will see a colorful cast of characters whose pervasiveness

and fame are widespread across Indonesia. Puppets can be

found in souvenir shops and galleries, and are often brought

home by visitors as representations and reminders of this

Indonesian artform.

Two forms of wayang are presented in the exhibit: wayang

kulit (shadow puppets) and wayang golek (wooden puppets).

A wayang performance consists of the puppets, a

dhalang

or puppeteer, and a gamelan orchestra to provide musical

accompaniment. Performances attract large audiences

and can often exceed nine hours, with audience members

coming and going. Though the stars of the show are the

puppets themselves, the tell-tale sign of a successful wayang

performance is a dhalang skilled in narrating and story

telling. These skills are traditionally passed from father to

son, but educational programs in schools have recently been

instituted to allowmore Indonesian children to explore the

traditional performance art of the wayang.

Wayang encompasses an expansive cast of characters,

who take part in folk tales or parables. Many stories are

drawn from the Hindu epics of the

Ramayana

and the

Mahabharata

, as well as local mythologies, other religious

traditions such as Christianity and Islam, as well as national

politics. Within Java, wayang performances range in

formality and adherence to classical structure – they also

incorporate new forms for global media such as hip-hop.

Wayang always contains a moral or message, and these

meanings are part of how Indonesian communities maintain

their identity.

Wayang puppets range widely in form. The look of a puppet

tells the audience something about the identity of the

character and what role they play in the story. Characters

with more graceful or peaceful expressions typically assist

the protagonist, whereas those with more animalistic

features create obstacles. Gods, demons, animals, and

landscapes are all depicted with puppets, each skillfully

manipulated and voiced by the dhalang. Similar to the

way American “tall tales” include mythical figures such

as Johnny Appleseed and Paul Bunyan, wayang includes

both beloved and infamous characters. Some of the most

famous wayang characters are Siwa (Shiva) the Hindu

god of destruction, Parikesit, the universal king in the

Mahabharata

stories, Semar, the god-clown, and Cepot,

one of Semar’s sons – who is often involved in joking and

slap-stick comedy.

Wayang from theWeber Collection

Parikesit

Parikesit

is part of the

Mahabharata

stories, and called the

universal king. He is the grandson of famous character,

Arjuna

and

Subhadra

(Krishna’s sister). He was King of

Karauravya

and ushered India’s Kuro region into the iron age. He is the

successor to the throne of

Hastinapur

Images:

Shadow Puppet

, 20th Century, Java, Indonesia, May Weber Collection, Loyola University

Chicago, photo by Julie Calcagno (www.juliecalcagno.photography);

Golek Puppet

, 20th Century,

Java, Indonesia, May Weber Collection, Loyola University Chicago, photo by Julie Calcagno

(www.juliecalcagno.photography).

Indonesia’s Rich Heritage of Puppetry