Wayang Beber a dying art<\/p>\n
JP\/18\/WAYANG<\/p>\n
Wayang Beber a dying art<\/p>\n
Slamet Susanto
\nThe Jakarta Post\/Yogyakarta<\/p>\n
Wayang beber, or storytelling with a scroll of pictures, is a
\ndying art in the country. Not only it is rarely performed but the
\nscrolls themselves have also become a rarity.<\/p>\n
It is believed that, today, the scrolls can only be found in
\ntwo places: in Gelaran village, Karangmojo sub-district,
\nGunungkidul regency, Yogyakarta and in the East Java town of
\nPacitan. However, the scrolls are not in mint condition as some
\nparts have been torn off.<\/p>\n
As its name reveals -- beber in Javanese means to tell -- a
\nwayang beber performance is unlike other wayang performances in
\nthat pure storytelling rather than puppetry is employed.<\/p>\n
The dalang (puppeteer, or in this case storyteller) tells the
\nstory as depicted by the pictures on the scroll that measures
\nsome 3.8 meters by 75 centimeters.<\/p>\n
Using a one-meter-long wooden rod, he tells the stories of the
\npictures he points to.<\/p>\n
Rubinem, the owner of the scroll in Gunungkidul said the
\nscroll had been in her family for generations.<\/p>\n
\"I'm the 15th heir of the wayang beber. It's a royal heritage
\nthat is hundreds of years old. I have to take care of it
\ncarefully,\" Rubinem, a widow with a child, said.<\/p>\n
Rubinem said she had six picture scrolls. However, only four
\nof them are performed. All are about the love story between Panji
\nAsmorobangun and Galuh Condrokirono from the chronicle of the
\nKediri kingdom.<\/p>\n
The other two scrolls are not performed, mostly due to dispute
\nover the heirs of the Kediri kingdom, which makes telling the
\nstory tricky.<\/p>\n
Rubinem said the story of wayang beber was written in a book
\nshe inherited along with the scrolls. Unfortunately, she lost the
\nbook in 1932 when she was invited to perform at Surakarta Palace.<\/p>\n
In wayang beber, the owner of the scrolls has the authority to
\nschedule a performance as well as the accompanying rituals. The
\ndalang is required to perform according to instructions.<\/p>\n
This is different from other wayang performance, like shadow
\npuppet plays, in which the position of the dalang is more
\ncentral.<\/p>\n
Offerings must be prepared ahead of the performance, including
\ntwo tumpeng mumule (cone-shaped rice topped with tempeh), two
\nregular tumpeng, 14 tumpeng ariyoyo (rice balls), ingkung
\n(roasted rooster), jajan pasar (traditional snacks) and fruits.<\/p>\n
After the performance, a kenduri (thanksgiving ritual) is held
\nnear the stage culminating in the audience being invited to eat
\nthe offerings.<\/p>\n
For the performance a fee of between Rp 1.5 million and Rp 2
\nmillion is requested from the host. Rubiyem said most of the fee
\nwas for the offerings, the kenduri ritual, and for paying the
\nperformers (dalang, musicians and singers).<\/p>\n
\"I am not after profit. If any money is left over it goes
\ntoward other thanksgiving rituals, such as during the month of
\nSuro (first month of the Javanese calendar) and Lebaran (end of
\nthe fasting month),\" Rubinem said.<\/p>\n
Wayang beber is said to have developed during the Hindu era of
\nthe Kediri and Majapahit kingdoms.<\/p>\n
According to wayang beber researcher Rohmat Sujoko of
\nSurakarta, this is evident in the paintings on the cloth scrolls
\nthemselves.<\/p>\n
Sujoko said the use of gold leaf and fine detail of the
\npaintings indicated the painters had been royal artists.<\/p>\n
The tradition was taken up by other Hindu kingdoms and was
\npopular during the Islamic kingdom era of Pajang in Kartosuro
\nuntil the era of Amangkurat, also of Kartosuro. However, as Islam
\nspread wayang beber was cast aside. Islam forbids the depiction
\nof the human form in artwork.<\/p>\n
Rescue, preservation efforts<\/p>\n
For documentation purposes, wayang beber was recently
\nperformed in Gelaran. A number of wayang lovers from Yogyakarta,
\nWonosobo in Central Java and Jakarta were invited to attend.<\/p>\n
Promoted by Prayitno, who also manages the art village of Grha
\nUsada Bali, those who attended the performance agreed to
\ncooperate to preserve wayang beber. With the permission of the
\nowners, they agreed to duplicate the scrolls so that the original
\nones could be stored and protected from further damage.<\/p>\n
They also agreed to display the duplicates at the wayang and
\nmask museum Kubu Bingin in Ubud, Bali, which is presently under
\nconstruction.<\/p>\n
\"The problem is we have not yet found the right paper or the
\nright artist. We want it to be exactly the same and long
\nlasting,\" Prayitno said.<\/p>\n
Other preservation efforts include building a better room to
\nstore the scrolls at Rubinem's house. The room where the scrolls
\nare stored at present only has plaited bamboo walls. It is feared
\nthat, without better care, the condition of the scrolls would
\ndeteriorate, making wayang beber a thing of the past.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/iwayang-beberi-a-dying-art-1447893297",
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