The history of establishment of wayang wong* began at about the beginning of 19^th century. At the time, the king of Klungkung, I Dewa Agung Sakti, ordered the establishment of dance group consisting of thirty six people, half which were to play the role of simian army of Rama, and the other half was act the role of Rahwana’s army giants. At the time of its establishment, the group members all wore masks which characterized their role as monkeys or as giant, in the performance. The clothing worn by the monkeys was made from plant fibres (prasok) to stimulate fur.

Wayang Wong performance on The Annual Bali Arts Festival 2006

This dance group depicted stories from the Ramayana dealing with the fight between the simian and giant armies. The performance was known as Barong Blasan or Barong Kedingkling. This Barong became very popular not only in the palace but also in the village especially when performed on the holiday. The performers in monkey masks and costume would enters the village and go from house to house, clowning and entertaining the people as they went, the villager donated some money, a coconut or other kitchen utensil. The simians would even climb the coconut trees and fetch the donation themselves. These performances were always greeted with great enthusiasm by the villagers for reason other than mere enjoyment and entertaining spectacle.

Wayang Wong performance on The Annual Bali Arts Festival 2006

The people believe that those coconut trees, which were climbed by the simian army, would bear more fruit and that squirrels who usually destroy the coconut crops, would be driven away. And moreover in the villages that were to be visited by the Barong Kedingkling, the people did not have to make Caru ceremony, which are the offerings to the evil spirits and purification of the village. The function of Barong kedingkling is also to drive out evil spirit so that if the Barong kedingkling is performed other ceremony is not necessary.

Wayang Wong performance on The Annual Bali Arts Festival 2006

In the middle of 19^th century there was new development in the Barong kedingkling. The son of the king of Klungkung, named I Dewa Agung Gede from the palace at Kusamba took initiative of adding three new figures to the Barong kedingkling. These were Rama, Sita, and Laksamana, the main characters of Ramayana epic and they did not wear masks. The costumes were more decorative and resembled Gambuh, and the musical accompaniment was upgraded. The story of Rama and Sita was combined with and completed the fight between the simian and giant armies. The dance technique of these characters was also adapted from Gambuh.

Wayang Wong performance on The Annual Bali Arts Festival 2006

The king of Klungkung, I Dewa Agung Sakti gave his approval to this new development and from that time the performance became known as the wayang wong. This was played mostly in the palaces of the kings or for people in the villages at temple anniversaries. New figure have been added Rahwana, the king of the giant; his brothers, Wibisana and Kumbakarna and many other from Ramayana epic. The wayang wong now practically extinct. It survives in only a few places such as Tejakula, Mas and Batuan.

* The term Wayang Wong comes from the two words wayang meaning shadow and wong meaning man. Wayang Wong, which translates to shadow men, is a human dramatization of the Wayang Kulit (shadow puppet) show, wherein the dancers imitate the jerky movements of the puppets. Wayang Wong is one of several Balinese performance art forms which meld dance, drama and music.

Editor’s Note
Read also Wayang Wong Tejakula | search other story

Popularity: 2% [?]