A Glimpse of Barong

Monday, March 31st, 2008 by Sidarta Wijaya

Barong is a portrayal of a mythical monster that is animated by two men, one manipulating the mask, the other the hind end. Barong has a long, sagging body built on a framework of bamboo that is covered with various kinds of material according to the animal whose mask it wears. The barong masks that are widely used are tiger (macan), wild boar (bangkal), lion (singa), elephant (gajah), cow (lembu), and the most commonly used is ket correspond to unknown animal but it is universally known as Banaspati Raja, Sovereign Lord of the forest.

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Barong Landung: Protective Effigy of the Village

Wednesday, July 18th, 2007 by Sidarta Wijaya

Barong Landung is a magically protective effigy which is found in many villages of Denpasar area in preference to Barong Ket and other types of animal Barong. The word ‘landung’ means tall and indeed the three-meter figures, with human faces and features, tower over their bearers and attendants. A set of Barong Landung consist of five characters: Jero Gede (the Big Man), Jero Luh (his wife), and their three children. Jero Gede has a black complexion, long hair, and fangs while his wife has Chinese features and yellow skin. The children are somewhat shorter and wear mask with pleasant and smiling expression.