THE DIFINETION OF WAYANG

THE DIFINETION OF WAYANG KULIT
The Javanese wayang kulit or wayang purwa (shadow puppet play) is one of the great dramatic forms of the East. Above and beyond its value as a wonderful entertainment, it is important to the Javanese as a ceremony: It provides a means of contact with ancestral spirits and establishes an atmosphere of serenity and balance; it is a means of educating the young in the wisdom of the culture; and it employs, as a frame of reference, philosophical and mystical ideas relating to the esoteric self-discipline known as semadi. No one understand all the facets of a wayang performance -- even the dhalang (puppeteer) may not completely understand the obscure imagery of some of the beautiful songs he sings. One is not expected to pay constant attention throughout the nightlong course of the play, and may wander away for some tea or food. Children, who form a large part of the audience in Java, often fall asleep during the longer and more philosophical dialogues and wake up when the clowns appear.

In general, a play falls into three main divisions defined by the planting of the kayon or gunungan (tree or mountain) in the center of the stage, thus marking the line between the forces to the dhalang's right, usually positive, and the forces of left, usually negative. (The Javanese are, of course, too subtle to imagine that human nature is all bad or all good -- even the great heroes have certain weaknesses, and some of the villains have a great nobility.) The division of the wayang play into three sections is paralleled in the accompanying music by its corresponding division into three pathet (modes). The dhalang is in a complete charge of the performance. Before it begins, he meditates; during the performance he manipulates the puppets, delivers all the dialogue in many voices, describes the scene, comments on the meaning -- often drawing on events of the day -- and signals the orchestra what and when to play. He must know the stories and characters of more than two hundred puppets. A good dhalang may be able to perform as many as two hundred lakon (wayang episodes). In Java, he is often revered for his deep understanding of life and his role as a teacher and spiritual guide. Through him, one is initiated into the "secrets of earthly existence" and educated in the philosophical and mystical composition of life: the nature of order in the world, of cosmic justice, and of the laws of the universe.