INDONESIAN WAYANG: UNESCO MASTERPIECE OF HUMANITY A GLOSSARY OF TERMS
Prepared by Karen Smith

It is dusk, and the rich melodic rhythms of the gamelan and the ethereal female voices of the pesinden echo across the peaceful village in Central Java, Indonesia. The music signals the commencement of the traditional Indonesian shadow performance, Wayang Kulit Purwa. Throughout the day, the entire village had come together for the bersih desa, a purification ritual held annually during the rice harvest season. The evening's wayang will now cap the ceremony. The excited villagers gather to enjoy the performance that will continue throughout the night, an eight-hour marathon of non-stop drama, romance, boisterous comedy, vigorous battle scenes, and ethical resolution.

Indonesian wayang, noted for its elaborate puppets, complex musical styles and ancient form of storytelling, was proclaimed a UNESCO Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity in 2003. Indonesian wayang has a long and rich tradition, fulfilling the local community's need for protection, ceremony, education, entertainment, and spiritual uplift. Potentially there are hundreds of kinds of wayang. Today, however, while some wayang genres endure and continue to develop and new ones are being created, there are wayang genres that are threatened with extinction.

There are many Indonesia wayang traditions, including Wayang Kulit Purwa Jawa, Wayang Parwa Bali, Wayang Golek Sunda, Wayang Banjar, and Wayang Palembang. All five forms of these wayang forms have scenarios drawn from the ancient Indian epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, as well as "branch stories" and "twig stories" developed from the epics that have taken on local character.

Other wayang forms include: Wayang Wong (also known as Wayang Orang), Wayang Golek Menak, Wayang Gedog, Wayang Madya, Wayang Kancil, Wayang Ukur, Wayang Suket, Wayang Calonarang, Wayang Gambuh, Wayang Cupak, Wayang Topeng, and the new wayang creations of younger, innovative wayang artists.

Wayang performers include: dalang (puppeteers), musicians, singers, puppet and gamelan instrument makers, as well as the wayang puppets and dancers from Central and West Java, Bali, Lombok, Kalimantan and Sumatra.

The world of wayang includes among its various forms and styles the traditional shadow theatre, the three-dimensional rod puppet theatre, the human dance-drama, and the music that accompanies these performances.

GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Wayang Genres:

parwa – 'book'; epic stories (from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Arjuna Sasrabahu)
purwa – 'old'; epic stories (from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Arjuna Sasrabahu)
wayang – theatre, including puppet theatre, and the figures themselves
wayang babad – historical chronicles
wayang Banjar – shadow (kulit) theatre of Banjar region of South Kalimantan, telling epic stories from Ramayana, Mahabharata; threatened
wayang beber – painted story scrolls; threatened with extinction
wayang cepak – 'in Javanese-style dress', histories and legends of Javanese kings, such as Prince Panji, Damar Wulan
wayang gedog – cross between wayang wong (human dance-drama) and wayang topeng, dancers wear masks and telling Panji stories
wayang golek – three-dimensional wooden rod puppets
wayang golek purwa Sunda – rod puppet theatre of Sunda, West Java, epic stories (from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Arjuna Sasrabahu)
wayang inovasi – innovative (experimental) wayang created by young Javanese and Balinese dalang
wayang kancil – (also katjil), shadow theatre developed by Yogyakarta dalang Ki Ledjar Subroto telling folk stories based on the exploits of the mischievous mouse-deer (kancil), often with environmental themes
wayang klitik – flat wooden puppets with "kulit" arms
wayang kontemporar – "contemporary wayang," includes collaborations between avant-garde Balinese dalang and Western shadow theatre artists
wayang kulit – shadow theatre; "kulit" or skin/leather
wayang kulit purwa Jawa – Central Javanese shadow theatre telling epic stories (from Ramayana, Mahabharata, Arjuna Sasrabahu)
wayang madya – "middle", tales of East Javanese kings
wayang (golek) menak – "aristocrat", Arabic tales of Amir Hamzah, uncle of the Prophet Mohammed, considered the perfect Islamic king
wayang orang – human wayang/theatre (see wayang wong)
wayang parwa Bali – Balinese wayang based on "the book," i.e. the Indian epics, Ramayana and Mahabharata
wayang Palembang – shadow (kulit) theatre of Palembang, South Sumatra, telling epic stories from Ramayana, Mahabharata; threatened with extinction
wayang suket – grass wayang; traditional children's wayang toys, developed into a contemporary wayang genre by Javanese dalang Ki Slamet Gundono
wayang suluh – history stories of the 1945 revolutionary heroes, such as Soekarno, Hatta
wayang (kulit) tantri – new form of shadow puppetry telling Indian animal stories (from Panchatantra) developed by Balinese dalang, I Wayan Wija
wayang topeng – masked human dance-drama
wayang ukur – carved wayang; an innovation created by Yogyakarta dalang, Ki Sukasman
wayang wahyu – "power" or "revelation," Christian Bible stories
wayang wong – human wayang/theatre, Javanese dance-dramas with themes taken from episodes of Ramayana, Mahabharata (see wayang orang)

Wayang Terms:

bersih desa / rasolan – annual village purification ceremony, a purification ritual held annually during the rice harvest season capped by a wayang performance
blencong – traditional oil lamp as light source for shadow theatre
dalang – puppet master
debog – banana trunk in which wayang figures are inserted in performance
gunungan – Cosmic Mountain/Tree of Life "kulit" shadow figure; leaf-shaped, symbolic significance, also used as a stage prop and scene setter in both wayang kulit and wayang golek performances
karawitan – music arts of wayang, taught in formal and informal training institutions
kayon (kayonan) – Tree of Life "kulit" shadow figure (see gunungan)
kelir – white cloth screen against which a wayang kulit performance is presented
Ki – title of respect for men learned in religious matters, including wayang
pesinden (Javanese: sindhen) – female singers of wayang performances
kotak – puppet box
lakon – scenario, play text of a wayang performance
pedalangan – art of the dalang (puppeteer) taught in formal (college/university) and informal (sanggar) training institutions
ruwatan – "make safe," ritual exorcism of the demon Kala through special wayang performance
sanggar – studio, atelier, "informal" training institution
sutradara – director of a play, especially of wayang wong (wayang orang) performances

Music:

bonang – bronze "pot" instrument of gamelan orchestra
ceng-ceng – Balinese cymbals
demung – bronze metallophone percussion instrument with slab keys, low octave
gambang – wooden key xylophone instrument
gamelan – gong-chime orchestra accompanying wayang, mainly percussion, but with some stringed instruments and flutes
gamelan ibu-ibu – ladies' gamelan orchestra
gender – Javanese bronze metallophone percussion instrument with slab keys, played with two mallets
gender wayang – Balinese resonating instrument that accompanies wayang, especially Mahabharata stories, usually in sets of two pairs
gong – largest hanging bronze instrument, the "soul" of the gamelan orchestra
kempul – hanging gong
kendang – Balinese and Javanese drum
kenong – a single bronze "pot" instrument
ketuk – a single bronze "pot" instrument
peking – bronze metallophone percussion instrument with slab keys, high octave
pelog – 7-toned gamelan
pesinden (Javanese: sindhen) – female singers
rebab – stringed musical instrument
saron – bronze metallophone percussion instrument with slab keys, middle octave
sindhen – female singers
slendro – 5-toned gamelan
slenthem – bronze metallophone percussion instrument with slab keys, low octave
suling – bamboo flute
suluk – mood songs, which set the stage musically: defines character, clarifies the action, defines emotional essence of the scene

Wayang Epic Characters — Heroes, Anti-heroes, Ogres, Clowns:

Anoman – (Hanoman) monkey general and loyal ally and friend of Rama; also a heroic character of the Hindu epic, Mahabharata, half-brother of Bima
Arjuna – third of the five Pandawa brothers of the epic, Mahabharata
Bagong – one of the 3 "sons" of Semar, a punakawan (clown) character of wayang
Batara Guru – Lord Siwa (Shiva)
Bima – second Pandawa of the epic, Mahabharata
buta – ogre
Cakil – ubiquitous buta (ogre) character in wayang purwa
Cepot – Sundanese clown character
Damar Wulan – (King Brawijaya) hero of wayang gedog and wayang cepak cycle of stories set during Majapahit era (late 13th - early 16th century)
Dawala – Sundanese clown character, another name of Petruk
Delem – Balinese clown figure, usually translator for the anti-heroes
Dursasana – brother of Duryudana, a violent Korawa, Mahabharata
Duryudana – leader of the Korawas, king of Hastina, Mahabharata
Gareng – one of the 3 "sons" of Semar, a punakawan (clown) character of wayang
Gatotkaca – son of Bima and ogress Hidimbi of Mahabharata; able to fly, he is the "Superman" of wayang
Korawa(s) – the 99 sons and 1 daughter of Drestarastra, cousins and enemies of the 5 Pandawa brothers, of the epic Mahabharata
Kresna – (Krishna) avatar of Wisnu (Vishnu), adviser of the Pandawa in the Mahabharata
Lesmana – (Lakshmana) loyal brother of Rama, a hero of Ramayana
Hanoman – (Javanese: Anoman) monkey general and loyal ally and friend of Rama; also a heroic character of the Hindu epic, Mahabharata, half-brother of Bima
Mahabharata – Hindu epic originally from India, leading up to the great battle between the descendants of Bharata: the struggle of one side of a noble family (the Pandawa) to recover its heritage which had been usurped by the other side (the Korawa)
Merdah – Balinese clown figure, friend and translator for the heroes
Nakula – twin brother of Sahadewa, a Pandawa of the epic, Mahabharata
Pandawa(s) – the five brothers, sons of Pandu, heroes of Mahabharata
Panji – 12th century king of Kediri, hero of cycle of wayang gedog and wayang cepak stories introduced under Islamic influence in 1553
Petruk – one of the 3 "sons" of Semar, a punakawan (clown) character of wayang
punakawan – "wise friend," referring to Semar, Gareng, Petruk, Bagong
Rahwana – (Indian: Ravana) demon king of Alengka (Lanka), anti-hero of Ramayana
raksasa – demon/ogre
Rama – avatar of Wisnu (Vishnu), prince and later king, hero of Ramayana
Ramayana – Hindu epic originally from India, the Story of Rama, the abduction of Sinta (Sita) by Rahwana (Ravana), Sita's rescue with the aid of Anoman (Hanuman), Sugriwa (Sugriva) and monkey army, the crowning of King Rama
Sahadewa – (Sadewa) twin brother of Nakula, a Pandawa of the epic, Mahabharata
Sangut – Balinese clown figure, usually translator for the anti-heroes
Semar – Javanese, Sundanese, Banjar and Palembang clown-guru-elemental god character
Sinta – (Sita), wife of Rama, abducted by demon king of Alengka (Lanka), Rahwana (Ravana) heroine of Ramayana
Sugriwa – monkey king and ally of Rama, from Ramayana
Togog – clown figure of the "Left" or negative wayang characters in Javanese wayang
Tualen – Balinese clown figure (similar to Semar); he and the other comic characters act as translators of the classical language spoken by the heroes and anti-heroes of wayang parwa
Yudhistira – eldest of the five brothers, the Pandawa, of the epic, Mahabharata

Sources
Irvine, David. Leather Gods & Wooden Heroes. Java's Classical Wayang.
Singapore: Times Editions, Pte. Ltd., 1996.