Friends of Javanology, wayang is a form of traditional performance presented by a storyteller or commonly called a puppeteer, using puppets and the like as a staging medium. Puppet is a native Indonesian performing art that is growing rapidly on the islands of Java and Bali. This show is also popular in some areas such as Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula also has some Puppet culture which is influenced by Javanese and Hindu culture. There are several types of puppets, and each type has its own uniqueness.
Indonesia actually has many types of Wayang Kulit, including Wayang Beber, Wahyu, Wayang Sadat, Wayang Gedhog, Wayang Kancil, Wayang Pancasila, and so on. Friends of Javanology Among the types of puppets in Indonesia, one of the puppets that is best known by the public is the Purwa kulit puppet. Because of the popularity of this type of Puppet, if someone mentions the word Puppet, people will assume that what is meant is not another type of Puppet, but directly at the Purwa shadow puppet.
The Purwa Puppet show usually takes the story from the Mahabharata and Ramayana stories. Meanwhile, if it has penetrated into the Panji story, usually by using the Gedhog puppet. Purwa leather puppets consists of several styles or gagrak, there are Kasunanan, Mangkunegaran, Ngayogyakarta, Banyumasan, Jawatimuran, Kedu, Cirebon, and so on.
Purwa leather puppets are made of inlaid buffalo skin, colored according to the rules of puppet puppetry, given a stalk made of Caucasian buffalo horn which is processed in such a way with the name cempurit which consists of tuding and gapit.
from the shape of the purwa leather puppet, it can be classified into several groups, including:
– Puppet Kidang Kencana; medium-sized puppets are neither too big nor too small, according to the need for a puppeteer (puppet puppeteer).
– Puppet Ageng; namely wayang puppets that are large, especially the limbs in the stomach and legs more than ordinary puppets, these puppets are called wayang jujudan.
– Puppet kaper; namely puppets that are smaller than ordinary puppets.
– Puppet Kateb; namely puppets whose feet are too long and not in balance with their bodies.
Friends of Javanology, Over time, Purwo Puppet became one of the media for the spread of Islam in Indonesia. The Walisongo used Purwa puppet to spread Islam by acculturating Javanese culture with Islamic teachings. The acculturation process has made Purwa puppet increasingly developed and become a work of art with high value. During the Islamic period the use of leather as a raw material for wayang was previously not clearly stated, but at this time buffalo skin is used. The stylization of the Purwa leather puppets forms is very far from the source, however, the parts of the Purwa Puppet are still recognizable. The form of the purwa shadow puppet that has been styled so far makes it very different from the human form.
This is so that the Purwa leather puppets can perform well and does not violate the teachings of Islam, thus the Purwa leather puppets can be accepted in Islam, because it no longer depicts humans or animals realistically.
Purwa leather puppets, which was manifested during the Islamic period in Indonesia, developed in areas of Central and East Java, including Madura, and Yogyakarta, as well as other areas that were influenced by Islam.
writer:
Nimas Ayu Anggraini
Source:
https://www.nu.or.id/warta/wayang-purwa-wujud-akulturasi-budaya-lokal-dengan-islam-1DRKu
