'Wayang krucil', the endangered puppet play

By Rosa Widyawan

JAKARTA (JP): Wayang krucil is a form of wayang that depicts stories from the Majapahit period through the use of small, flat, wooden puppets. The stories generally concern Javanese cultural values, especially their educational and philosophical aspects.

During the revolution era, the wayang was used to promote a spirit of heroism by conducting performances about the history of Indonesian heroes such as Prince Diponegoro and Untung Surapati. It was also a way to spread Islamic propaganda, through the story of Amir Hamzah, for example.

In Javanese society, this shadow play is less popular than other forms of wayang and other performing arts. Wayang krucil is only known in the East Java regencies of Tuban, Ngawi, Trenggalek and the Central Java regency of Blora. These areas are relatively dry and less fertile, compared to other parts of Java.

Wayang krucil is a distinct form of wayang in that the dolls are made of wood and smaller than ordinary wayang kulit or wayang purwa. The word krucil in Javanese indicates small things such as precil (baby frogs), pentil (mango fruit buds, nipple). It is also called wayang klitik because the dolls make a rattling sound when they are played.

Wayang krucil does not follow the ordinary wayang performance structure that begins with a talu (musical overture), pagunungan (a mountain-shaped puppet symbolizing great natural forces), janturan (a long poem to introduce a major scene), palace scene, perang gagal (failed battle) and ends with tancep kayon (the conclusion, signaled by visibly placing a tree of life puppet in front of the screen).

The wayang krucil dalang (coordinator) has the liberty to not follow a standard plot, but the flow of the story depends on audience interest. Such pressure will force the dalang to draw on his creativity, which often times produces different versions of the same story.

Wayang krucil performances usually tell local stories such as the Panji Stories or Damarwulan chronicles, whose premise is that sacrifice and suffering will bring happiness in the future.

Damarwulan ngarit (Damarwulan gathers grass), for example, tells the tale of Damarwulan, a young country fellow who devoted himself to working as a horse keeper for Patih Logender. He endures hard times while working for the man so that he can eventually marry a beautiful young aristocratic girl.

The Bujangganong story concerns a poor, ugly, young man obsessed with Taliwati, Talirasa and Talisari, the daughters of the King of Ngerum. At the end of the story, he happily manages to marry all three.

Indirectly, the wayang suggests that villagers not feel inferior and that they work hard to achieve their ideals.

The most specific and important characteristic of the performance is the appearance of the golekan doll. The dalang's skill is reflected in the way he manipulates the doll, which appears either in the beginning, middle or end of the performance.

The golekan scene has philosophical meaning. It encourages the audience to have enough self-confidence to seek the meaning of life. Dancing golekan are meant to inspire the audience to anggoleki (seek, interpret) hidden massages in the night-long performance. Moral values are delivered symbolically and ways of life are transformed through various stories in the performance.

The dalang is not only a central performer in the play, in which he leads the musicians, narrates, sings and speaks while manipulating the puppets. His profession is inherited and he has a strong influence over his community, especially in terms of spiritual values. He is believed to be a guru with supernatural powers and one whose words are thought to have magical powers and always be true.

In the Janjang village of Blora, the dalang is called mbah (a Javanese term of kinship used for grandfathers and old men) even if he is relatively young. The people of Janjang never make fun of a wayang krucil performance because they believe that the dalang has the power to curse anyone who gossips about him.

There are other ways to become a dalang, such as in the case of Ki Sarni of Tuban, East Java. Ki Sarni, a gamelan player from the Wolu Tengah village of Tuban, was elected after the death of the village dalang. Ki Sarni admitted that the former dalang's position legitimately should have gone to Pak Gus, who was passed over because he was deaf and dumb.

Supangkat, a former gardener at a primary school in Janjang, also did not inherit his new profession. A local leader appointed him dalang in 1989 after the death of the village's former dalang.

The income of a dalang is not sufficient to live on. In one year he will perform no more than five times. Most have other jobs, working as peddlers or shopkeepers, for example. They generally perform on special occasions, such as during ceremonial meals, and when people want to break their vows. Dalang only charge Rp 150,000 to Rp 500,000 for a performance, depending on the local economic conditions and the quality of the dalang.

Wayang krucil is an endangered tradition in Javanese society. It has many competitors, especially videotapes, which are often rented for special ceremonies. Furthermore, most wayang krucil dalang are elderly and few are preparing others to take over this centuries-old tradition.