Asian Geographic - 09.2018

he tradition of puppet theatre in Asia is long

and deeply entrenched. A Chinese legend tells

of a royal court magician in the irst century

BC who was commanded to bring Emperor

Wu-ti’s concubine back to life. Faced with

the do-or-die order, the magician cast the

lady’s shadow on a screen using puppetry. So

convinced was the grief-stricken emperor that

he conversed with his “beloved” for hours.

In India, the epic poem, the Mahabharata,

makes clear references to shadow puppetry in

one of the poems, “Arjunawiwaha” (“Arjuna’s

Wedding”). his suggests that shadow theatre

could have been found in the region as early

as the 11th century.

TOP RIGHT Nang

talung puppets from

southern Thailand are

typically made of clear

cow hide.

RIGHT Handmade

string puppets in

Rajasthan, India,

wearing traditional

dress

BELOW RIGHT

Traditional mua roi

nuoc (water puppet

show) in Hanoi,

Vietnam

BELOW Traditional

Indonesian wayang

kulit puppet

PHOTO © LOURDES FIGUEROA, FOR HARANA THE MOVIE

mories

he Disappearing Asian

Puppet heatre Tradition

PULLING STRINGS

Te x t Jocelyn Lau & Lucien Low

he shadow puppet genre of Indonesia is one

of oldest and most complex theatre traditions

in the world. Its most well-known form is

the wayang kulit (“shadow puppet theatre”).

he performance is controlled by the dalang

(solo puppeteer), who manipulates the

characters, sings sulukan (classical

“mood songs”), provides the

dramatic narration and sound

efects, and cues the gamelan

(orchestra).

Most of the wayang kulit

plays, comprising three parts,

are based on the Indian epics

Mahabharata and Ramayana,

with largely improvised

dialogue. he puppets are made

from bufalo skin or cowhide

that is painted on both sides. A

central control rod is aixed down

the puppet’s middle; two ancillary

rods are atached to its hands; and the

shoulders and elbows are jointed.

Indonesia

THE ART OF WAYANG