Wayang Museum

Before departing Kota Tua, I visited the Wayang Museum. Wayang is the Javanese word for shadow and this museum is devoted to the extraordinary Indonesian heritage of shadow puppetry. 

Shadow puppetry traces its roots to before the 10th Century and is derived from the puppetry of India. Wayang theater uses shadows thrown by puppets manipulated by rods against a translucent screen lit from behind. 

Originally shadow puppetry dramatized scenes from Hindu epics like the Ramayana. In Indonesia, especially Java, these shows have always been a central cultural aspect and, through most of its history, Indonesian puppetry has been an important means of educating and communicating essential stories and narratives. 

As you can see from the picture, outside groups like Christian missionaries attempted to co-opt Wayang theater. Even history lessons were dramatized. Notice the picture with the Dutch overlords on the left and leaders of the Indonesian independence movement on the right, characters in political theater. When you examine this picture you will receive a clear example of one of the ancient rules in Wayang: evil characters are portrayed on the left (Dutch) and good characters on the right (Indonesians). As an aside: we left-handers would like to know why our side is always the evil one?

I even found the puppet storage room to be fascinating, if not a little bit spooky.  Check out the picture to see if you agree. 

Looking forward to the post-COVID era to experience Wayang theater in person.



























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