Leather puppets are lifeblood of Javanese village

Text and photos by Tarko Sudiarno

YOGYAKARTA (JP): The dawning of the modern age of glitzy consumer goods has not diminished the importance of leather puppets (wayang kulit) as symbols of life for the Javanese.

However modern a Javanese may be, the puppets' particular characteristics still serve as guidance in determining the path of his or her life. We will find wayang figures such as Arjuna, Gatut Kaca and Semar taking pride of place on the walls of his living room. These puppets do not merely serve as decoration but are spiritual inspirations.

This spiritual need is fulfilled by Kenisuharjono, or Keni, a leather puppetmaker in Pucung village near Yogyakarta. Most of the villagers produce puppets but several are also involved in making lampshades, fans, keyhangers, bookmarks and wall decorations.

Since traditional puppet shows are expensive and rarely performed, the 47-year-old father of two now fills orders for leather puppets as souvenirs and for other purposes.

In a year, he receives one or two orders for a complete set of wayang kulit. This is understandable as puppets shows are only staged at particularly auspicious times during the year. The price for one set, or 150 puppets, ranges from Rp 7.5 to Rp 40 million.

Costs depend on the quality of the puppets. The highest priced puppets use the best leather, shavings of bull horn and gold finishing.

Most orders are for just one or two puppets only as souvenirs or wall decorations. The price of one puppet ranges between Rp 15,000 and Rp 200,000 -- the price doubles or triples when puppets are sold in art shops. "I do not sell low-quality puppets," Keni said proudly.

Only the wealthy can afford Keni's expensive wayang kulit. More orders come in for representations of Semar, a sacred character and a leading figure in traditional Javanese tales. Early this month Keni received an order for 70 Semar puppets. His prices range from Rp 200,000 to Rp 350,000.

Keni, who claims to have supernatural powers, also accepts orders for Semar puppets which have been "filled", or imbued with special powers. Believers consider the puppets can give them spiritual commands.

Keni's claims that several of his puppets delivered to state television station TVRI were discovered moving by themselves.

"I suggest to owners to take good care of the puppets by making offerings on special nights," Keni said.

Government officials in Jakarta and Yogyakarta, business executives and even university rectors are among those ordering the special Semar, according to Keni.

His puppets are relatively expensive. Cheaper ones can be obtained from other craftsmen living in the vicinity. They produce puppets which can be purchased for between Rp 5,000 and Rp 10,000 on the sidewalks of Malioboro in Yogyakarta.

Forerunners

The 400 or so puppetmakers in the village are descendants in trade of the late Atmokaryo, Keni's father, who opened his workshop in 1923 at the instruction of a prince of the Yogyakarta palace.

Atmokaryo, who was familiarly known as Mbah Glemboh, was in fact a courtier of the Yogyakarta palace. Apart from his work at the Sultan's palace, Atmokaryo made charcoal from carbonizing wood. One day a prince ordered him to discontinue making the charcoal because the activity was depleting the trees in the forest around Imogiri. As puppetmakers were becoming scarce, the prince told him to take up that profession.

Atmokaryo transferred his skills to his neighbors and the business continues to flourish. but Keni has obviously inherited his father's skills. He is successful and has bought a car from his earnings, a luxury for the average inhabitant of Pucung. If Keni has a large order to fill, he recruits the help of 40 artisans. When business is slack, he only needs the help of his wife and children.

Almost all Pucung's residents have mastered the skills of producing the puppets. "Since our graduation from elementary school, we have decorated the wayang kulit," said Wonidi. The 30- year-old's fellow villagers are employed by people like Keni in meeting orders.

Apart from farming, Wonidi carves wayang, assisted by his wife and child. Wonidi receives orders nearly every day. He can finish one puppet just in two days. He is paid Rp 12,000 for each puppet. "This is more than enough for the needs of village life," said Wonidi.

It takes between three days to a week to make a puppet. The craftsmen usually receive the finished leather and bull's horns from a supplier. The artisans only have to carve and color. As they are already experienced, the artisans do not draw the wayang from a pattern but work directly on the leather. When the wayang form takes shape, the leather is engraved and colored according to the puppet's characteristics. Only after that is it provided with pincers made of the horn.

The price of the puppets is relatively high because of high production costs. A piece of good quality leather costs Rp 3,000, a bull's horn Rp 6,000, paints around Rp 6,000. The highest expense is carving at Rp 12,000 per leather puppet. Keni's profit is only 10 percent on the price.

"We cannot take a higher profit because the wayang kulit will be more expensive," Keni said.

Keni's net profit averages Rp 600,000 a month. But with many orders he can earn between one and two million rupiah a month. "I am happy that this business provides a living for the villagers."