Dalang (puppeteer)

Wayang puppet theatre
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage
The performance of Wayang kulit presented by the well-known Dalang, Ki Manteb Soedharsono, at Bentara Budaya Cultural Institute in Central Jakarta, 2010
Country	Indonesia
Criteria	Performing arts, Traditional craftsmanship
Reference	063
Region	Asia and the Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription	2008 (3rd session)
List	Representative List
Dalang is the master puppeteer within Wayang puppet theatre.

Dalang or dhalang (from Javanese ꦣꦭꦁ 'puppeteer'; Javanese pronunciation: [d̪aː.laːŋ]) is a native Javan term commonly used in Javan–Bali cultures, referring to the individuals who responsible as the plotter or puppeteer of various Wayang (lit. 'traditional native Javan puppetry') performance. Originating from the Javanese cultural tradition, the Dalang practice first emerged and developed on the Indonesian island of Java, particularly in the courts of central–southern regions which considered as the origin place of these traditional cultural practice. Due to the massive spread of Central Javanese influence (especially since the downfall of Medang Kamulan and Old Mataram power), the practice of Dalang puppeteering was also introduced to its vicinity eastern region, which now comprises the states of East Java and Bali.

Since 2003 (and rightfully legalized in 2008), as part of the collective Wayang puppet theatre, the role of Dalang as the main Wayang master puppeteer has been internationally acknowledged, especially since it gained recognition by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) through the designation of Wayang as one of the global Intangible Cultural Heritages of Java-origin, representing the cultural heritage of Javanese people as the largest ethnic group in Southeast Asia alongwith its large diaspora population across the globe. Nationally, since 2010, the recognition of various cultural practice of Dalang throughout Indonesia (especially in its origin place, Java) officially digitized and lawfully protected by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of Republic Indonesia as an integral part of the National Intangible Cultural Heritage of Indonesia.

In a performance of wayang kulit, the dalang sits behind a screen (kelir) made of white cotton stretched on a wooden frame. Above his head, hanging from beams attached to the top of the screen is the lamp (blencong), which projects the shadows onto the screen. In front of the dhalang is a stage (debog), traditionally made from the trunk of a banana tree, into which the sharpened control rods of the puppets can be pushed to keep them in position during the performance. To his left is the puppet chest (kotak), and to his right is the puppet chest's lid, on which the puppets sit ready for use.

In addition to moving the puppets and speaking their lines, the dalang is also responsible for giving cues to the gamelan. This is done principally by playing the kepyak, a metal plate or set of plates played with his foot, or by rapping on the puppet chest (kotak) with a wooden mallet held in the left hand.

The art of puppetry (pedhalangan) was traditionally handed down within families, and dalangs formed a type of informal caste within Javanese society. The women of these families traditionally were expert players of the gendér, an instrument that has a particularly important role in accompanying wayang performances. The sons of dalangs were often apprenticed out around the age of 13 to another dhalang. His role included helping to set up the screen ahead of a performance, performing the afternoon show before a main all-night wayang, and sometimes acting as an accompanying musician or as an assistant puppeteer. He would also frequently end up marrying his master's daughter, who would have been trained as a gendér player by her mother. The social aspects of the dalang caste are covered in Victoria Clara van Groenendael's book The Dalang Behind the Wayang (Dordrecht, 1985).

Much of the traditional training of dhalangs was in the form of a practical apprenticeship, with a certain amount of spiritual training thrown in. This included meditation and a form of ascetic exercise known as kungkum, in which meditation is carried out naked at night while immersed up to the neck in water. Such practices are felt to be essential in building up the stamina to perform for nine hours at a stretch. A further ascetic element is that dhalangs never eat during the performance, although almost all drink sweet tea and many also smoke heavily.

In recent times, however, schools teaching a standardized version of pedhalangan have been founded, such as the Habirandha school within the Kraton Yogyakarta. The Habirandha school published its textbook, the Pedhalangan Ngayogyakarta, in 1976. Standardized pedhalangan is also taught at Indonesian state institutions such as the Indonesian Institute of the Arts, Yogyakarta.

Pedhalangan falls into three main areas - musical, vocal, and puppetry. The musical aspects include the direction and cueing of the gamelan and the singing of mood-setting songs (sulukan), the vocal includes the recitation of set texts at scene-openings (kandha) and the extemporisation of dialogue showing mastery of Javanese linguistic etiquette, while the puppetry itself (sabetan) involves a complex system of movements and positions. There is an extensive study of sabetan in English by Roger Long (see Further reading).

Nomenclature

Dalang or dhalang (ꦣꦭꦁ) is a native Javanese word, inherited from its Old Javanese-root origin. Diacritically, it is written as ḍalaṅ (in Old Javanese), which bear the meaning as "puppeteer". Originally, the term itself is an alternative form of dalan (ꦢꦭꦤ꧀), roughly translated as "way", "road", "means", or "bearer". In a sense, Dalang in Javanese terminology can be interpreted as "[the one who creates] the way [of the performance]", which equivalent to the sense of 'plotter' or 'director' (as in theatre and movie).

From its Old Javanese-origin, the word ḍalaṅ has evolved and transcribed as either dalang or dhalang (in Modern Javanese), and has absorbed into different languages (mainly due to the Javanese expansion influence in 12th-13th century), such as "dalang" (in Balinese), "dadalang" (in Banjar), dhâlâng" (in Madurese), "dhalang" (in Osing), "djalan" (in Javindo and Petjo) and "jalang" (in Makasar), which later evolved as the word "jalan" (in Indonesian).

Ancient records

The Dalang puppeteer has been recorded in various ancient Javanese manuscripts since thousands of years ago, below are some narrative example extracted from various Kidung (lit. 'Javan poetry') found in Java (and Bali):

"...tuhu ḍalaṅ krĕtarta riṅ aji..."
"...indeed, the Dalang puppeteer has finished a magically powerful [performance]..."

— Kidung of Waᶇbaᶇ Wideha

"...aṅaṅgo lalakon ḍalaṅ jaruman..."
"...using the role of intermediary Dalang puppeteer..."

— Kidung of Malat

"...tumuli alĕkas punaṅ awayaṅ dala<ṅ> samirana lalakun..."
"...to plot straight on the beginning part of fast-moving Wayang performance..."

— Kidung of Smarawijaya

Dresscode

As it is originated from central–southern regions of Java, a Dalang (lit. 'Wayang puppeteer') usually would wear the traditional Javanese cultural cothing which follows the Surakarta–Yogyakarta Javanese pakem (lit. 'Javanese standard cultural rules') custom, which may chracterized by the Blangkon headdress and a garment consisting of a long piece of Batik cloth worn wrapped round the body and tucked at the waist (or under the armpits for the Balinese).

See also

• Wayang
• Wayang kulit
• Sulukan
• Javanese culture

Further reading

• Clara van Groenendael, Victoria (1985). The Dalang Behind the Wayang. Dordrecht, Foris.
• Ghulam-Sarwar Yousof (1994). Dictionary of Traditional Southeast Asian Theatre. Oxford University Press. ISBN 967 653032 8
• Keeler, Ward (1987). Javanese Shadow Plays, Javanese Selves. Princeton University Press.
• Keeler, Ward (1992). Javanese Shadow Puppets. OUP.
• Long, Roger (1982). Javanese shadow theatre: Movement and characterization in Ngayogyakarta wayang kulit. Umi Research Press.
• Mudjanattistomo (1977). Pedhalangan Ngayogyakarta. Yogyakarta, Yayasan Habirandha (Habirandha Foundation).

External links

• NIU page on the dalang
• Joglosemar wayang page