Wayang, Tolerance and the Internet

Wayang, Tolerance and the Internet

¹ Tjahjono Rahardjo, ² Dr. Ridwan Sanjaya, ³Dr. Rustina Untari,

¹Post Graduate Program on Environment and Urban Studies, Soegijapranata Catholic

University, Indonesia

²Faculty of Computer Science, Soegijapranata Catholic University, Indonesia

³Faculty of Economic and Business, Soegijapranata Catholic University, Indonesia

¹tjahjonorahardjo@yahoo.com,²ridwan.sanjaya@gmail.com,³r.untari@gmail.com

“The highest result of education is tolerance.” – Helen Keller

Abstract

For centuries wayang kulit has played an important role in shaping the world view of the Javanese, including the special kind of tolerance that the Javanese people have. In recent years, however, we have seen an erosion of this sense of tolerance amongst the Javanese. Because of this, a team of researchers from the Soegijapranata Catholic University in Semarang has introduced a portal dedicated the artist of wayang in Solo and Semarang. It is hoped that this portal will make wayang not only survive, but continue to be able to contribute in the development of a plural, tolerant and multi-cultural Indonesian society.

Keywords: internet, multi-culturalism, tolerance, wayang, wayang network

Introduction

A wayang [1] performance was first documented in sufficient detail in the Kakawin Arjuna Wiwaha, a narrative poems composed by Empu Kanwa in 1030 AD during the reign of King Airlangga in East Java. In stanza 59 Empu Kanwa wrote:

“Hanonton ringgit [2] manangis asekel muda hidepan, huwus wruh tuwin yan walulang unikir molah angucap, hatur neng wang tresnaning wisaya malaha tan wihikana, ri tat wan ya maya sahana hananing bawa siluman”.

"People who watch the puppets cry, laugh, marvel, and wonder, even though they know that what they see is only leather carved into human forms, made to move and talk. Those who are seeing puppets in such a way are like a man lusting over worldliness, being self-forgetful and not knowing it is just a ghost-like shadow.”

(Hazeu quoted in Soetarno, 2005).

Earlier, wayang was already hinted in an inscription dating from 907 AD issued by King Balitung of the Indic Mataram Kingdom in Central Java. The inscription reads:

“… Si Nalu macarita bhima kumaramangigal Kicaka si jaluk macarita ramayana mamirus mabanol si mukmuk si galigi mawayang buat thyang macarita bimma ya kumara…”

“…Si Nalu recited Bhimma Kumara (and) danced as Kicaka, Si Jaluk recited the Ramayana, Si Mukmuk play-acted and clowned, Si Galigi performed wayang for the gods, reciting the story of Bimma Kumara…”

(Soedarsono, 1984)

There are two opinions regarding to the origin of wayang. The first one is that wayang originated on the island of Java, specifically in East Java. This opinion is mainly shared by Indonesian scholars as well as Dutch scholars such as L.A. Brandes  J. Kats and specially G.A.J. Hazeau who defended this view in his dissertation ’Bijdrage tot de Kennis van het Javaansche Toneel’ (1897).  In 1931 W.H. Rasser wrote a book titled ’Over de Oorsprong van het Javaansche Toneel’ in which he contested Hazeau’s view. Rasser believes that wayang has its origin in India, and brought to Indonesia along with the Hinduism. Other scholars who support Rassers’ viewpoint include N.J. Krom, C. Poensen, and B.H. Goslings. (Soedarsono, 1984)

Wayang and Tolerance

Whatever the case may be, wayang became an important part of Javanese culture. For more than a thousand years it has developed to become “one of the world’s most complex and dramatic theatrical forms” (Brandon, 1970).  Wayang was not merely an entertainment. In the past, the dhalang (puppeteers) were regarded as a person who possessed extraordinary knowledge and power who transmitted moral and aesthetic values through their art.

The words and actions of comic characters (punakawan) representing the “ordinary person” have provided a vehicle for criticizing sensitive social and political issues. It is believed that these are the reasons why wayang has been able to survive over the centuries (UNESCO, 2008). Mangkunagara VII (1933) in his paper “Over de wajang-koelit (poerwa) in het algemeen en over de daarin voorkomende symbolische en mystieke elementen” published in the journal Djawa pointed out that for the Javanese people wayang had a philosophical, symbolic and mystical significance.

Wayang is usually seen as a conflict between good and evil.  However, as Brandon (1970) points out, the ethical cleavage between good and evil are not absolute. All the main characters (notwithstanding which side they belong to) have their good and bad traits. Therefore, Brandon maintains that in wayang there is no “good” and “evil”, only “better’ and “less good.”

In his book “Mythology and the Tolerance of the Javanese” (1976), Benedict R. O’G Anderson affirms the role of wayang as a metaphysical and ethical “system” in shaping the special kind of tolerance that the Javanese people have. But we have to take into account the fact that Anderson proposed his idea based on observations made in 1976. Since then, however, we have seen an erosion of this sense of tolerance amongst the Javanese. As Lindsay (2012) points out, we now are living in a much less tolerant period in history. This is, incidentally, taking place parallel with the decline of wayang.

Though seemingly still enjoying popularity, wayang performances nowadays tend to accentuate comic scenes at the expense of the story line.  Very few dhalangs adhere to wayang as philosophy, oral literature, and food for thought. As a consequence, wayang is no longer, in Anderson’s words “an almost universally accepted religious mythology which commands deep emotional and intellectual adherence.” The question is: Is there any correlation between the shift in the role of wayang, from that of metaphysical and ethical system to a mere entertainment with the decline of tolerance amongst the Javanese?

Indonesian Wayang Network

In July 2012 the celebrated comic artist Raden Ahmad Kosasih passed away at the age of 93. He is considered as the father of the art in Indonesia. Kosasih’s first work was published in 1953 and he continued to work till 1993. He is best known for his wayang comics, retelling the great Hindu epics, the Ramayana and Mahabarata. For three generations of Indonesian, their first encounter with wayang was through Kosasih’s comic books.  Comics in those days were considered a novelty and “modern.” The first comics introduced in Indonesia were American comics, such as Tarzan, Rip Kirby, Phantom and Johnny Hazard, which are seen as representing the “modern” West. Through this “modern” medium ancient local stories became available to a wide audience.

Compared to comics, the Internet can reach a much wider audience. So far, there has been no real attempt to use the Internet to disseminate knowledge about wayang to the general public, despite the potentials of the Internet to reach many people, especially the young who are by and large incredibly computer literate.

Young people recognize wayang as being one of Indonesia’s iconic art forms and become angry when it is claimed by other countries. However, they actually know very little about it (Sanjaya, 2012).

This is unfortunate because according to Mulyono (1989, quoted in Nurgiyantoro, 2003),  wayang, besides being a sophisticated art form, also contains in the stories conveyed philosophical ideas that are still relevant today.

Mastuti (2012) argues that wayang teaches us how to practice tolerance and how to address differences, Many aspects and values ​​of humanism can found in wayang. With this in mind, a team of researchers from the Soegijapranata Catholic University in Semarang has introduced a portal dedicated the artists of wayang in Solo and Semarang. The basic concept behind this portal is to train wayang performers and wayang studios on how they can use the Internet as a showcase of their arts, so that more people can learn about wayang and the artists involved. It is hoped that this portal will make wayang not only survive, but continue to be able to contribute in the development of a plural, tolerant and multi-cultural Indonesian society.

Acknowledgments

This manuscript is fully granted by Penelitian Unggulan Project on 2012 from the Directorate General of Higher Education of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia under contract no. 011/O06.2/PP/SP/2012.

References

Anderson, Benedict R. O'G (1976) Mythology and the Tolerance of the Javanese Ithaca, N.Y., Cornell Modern Indonesia Project, Southeast Asia Program, Ithaca, NY, USA: Cornell University

Brandon, J. R. (1970) On Thrones of Gold: Three Javanese Shadow Plays, Cambridge, Mass, USA: Harvard University Press

Lindsay, J. (2012) Seni Pertunjukan Tradisi dan Diplomasi Antar Bangsa, paper presented to the Yayasan Pamulangan Beksa Sasminta Mardawa International Seminar “Menapak Jejak Meniti Harapan: Tantangan Seni Pertunjukan Tradisi di Masa Datang” 14 July 2012, Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta

Mangkunagara VII (1933) Over de Wajang-Koelit (Poerwa) in het algemeen en over de daarin vooromende Symbolische en Mystieke Elementen, in “Djawa”, XII, 1933

Sanjaya, R. (2012) Mengangkat Wayang lewat Internet, Suara Merdeka 22 July 2012. URL: http://blogridwan.sanjaya.org/2012/07/mengangkat-wayang-lewat-internet.html

Soedarsono (1984) Wayang Wong: The State Ritual Dance Drama in the Court of Yogyakarta, Yogyakarta, Indonesia: Gadjah Mada University Press

Soetarno (2005) Pertunjukan Wayang dan Makna Simbolik. Surakarta, Indonesia: STSI Press

UNESCO (2008) Wayang puppet theater, http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/RL/00063 downloaded 1 August 2012

Mastuti, W. (2012) Wayang dan Bayangan Kehidupan, http://www.sinarharapan.co.id/content/read/wayang-dan-bayangan-kehidupan/ downloaded 3 August 2012

Nurgiyantoro, B. (2003) “Wayang dalam Fiksi Indonesia” in Humaniora vol. XV No. 1/2003

Tjahjono Rahardjo is a lecturer at Post Graduate Program on Environment and Urban Studies, Soegijapranata Catholic University, Semarang, Indonesia. He holds the Master degree in MA Urban Management and Development from Erasmus Universiteit, Rotterdam. His research interests are in Cultural Heritage and Urban Studies.

Ridwan Sanjaya has been working as a lecturer at  the Faculty of Computer Science in Soegijapranata Catholic University, Semarang, Indonesia since 2002. This author became a member of IEEE, IACSIT, and IEICE. He received the Master of Science in Internet and E-Commerce Technology (MS.IEC) degree and Ph.D. in Computer Information System (Ph.D.CIS) from Assumption University, Bangkok, Thailand. He has been publishing more than 95 books related to computer area such as Web Development with JSP, Graphic Engineering using PHP, PDF Report Development with PHP 5.0, Cross-Platform Computer Network Administration, Creative Digital Marketing, Business-Driven Information System, etc. His research interests are in Internet Technology, Information System, and Creative Industries.    

Rustina Untari is a lecturer at Faculty of Economic and Business, Soegijapranata Catholic University, Semarang, Indonesia. She holds the Doctoral degree in Management of Industry from Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia and a Master degree in the same field. Her research interests are in Small Medium Enterprises, Entrepreneurship, and Cluster Industries.

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[1] The word “wayang” in this article, unless otherwise indicated, refers mainly to the Javanese wayang kulit purwa, wayang performed using flat leather puppets telling stories taken from the Ramayana and Mahabarata epics.

[2]“Ringgit” is the Old Javanese and High Javanese word for “wayang.”