Birth Puppet

About the birth culture of puppets, Ir. Sri Mulyono in his book The symbolism and mysticism in the Puppet (1979), estimate the puppet has existed since the time of neolithikum, ie about 1,500 years before Christ. His opinion was based on the writings Robert von Heine-Geldern Ph. D, Prehistoric Research in the Netherlands Indies (1945) and Prof. K.A.H. Hidding in Indonesia Encyclopedia page 987.

The word `puppet' probably derived from the word `wewayangan', which means shadow. This conjecture is consistent with the fact the Wayang Kulit performances are using a screen, a piece of cloth, as a barrier between the puppeteer who plays the puppet, and the audience behind the curtain. Viewers only saw movement through the shadow-puppet motion that falls on screen. At that time puppet performances accompanied only by a simple set of gamelan consist of saron, Todung (a type of flute), and kemanak. Other types of gamelan and singer at that time was allegedly still exist.

For more menjawakan puppet culture, since the early days of the Majapahit Kingdom introduced another puppet story that does not berinduk on the Book of the Ramayana and Mahabharata.

Since then the story - Panji stories, ie stories about the ancestors of the kings of Majapahit, was introduced as one form of another puppet. Panji stories are then more widely used for Wayang Beber performances. Tradition menjawakan puppet story also forwarded by some Islamic clerics, among them by the Wali Sanga. They began mewayangkan story of the kings of Majapahit, among them the story Damarwulan.

The entry of Islam into Indonesia since the 15th century also gave a big influence on the culture of puppets, especially on the concept of philosophy of religion that puppet. At the beginning of the 15th century, namely the time of the Kingdom of Demak, began to use specially-shaped oil lamp called blencong on Wayang Kulit performance.

Since the days Kartasura, composing a story that berinduk puppet in Ramayana and Mahabharata increasingly distant from the original. Since the time that people know the genealogy enthusiasts puppet puppet characters, including gods figure, which originated from the Prophet Adam. Sisilah it continues to arrive at the kings of Java. And then, began to be known also a puppet stories grip. that follow the standard story, and story lines beyond puppet carangan standard. In addition, there was more drama called splinter, which was too far out of the story grip.

Indeed, because so strong puppet art is rooted in the culture of Indonesia, so there was some confusion between the wayang stories, legends, and history. If the Indians think that the story of Mahabharata and Ramayana actually happened in his country, regarded Javanese wayang story actually happened on the island of Java.