Bali Echo Magazine Edition 52 | Wayang Wong Tejakula

look like oranges. Indeed, the performance is in essence a form of prayer, requesting that God make the earth fertile and resistant to plagues. There are many mystical stories that surround these sacred masks. One of these stories concerns the mask of Kumbakarna, and almost ended in fatality. Due to a mistake in the ritual, the mask went missing and a child went into a coma. The community was quick to react: they cut the pole that usually carried that particular mask.

Believe it or not, at that point the child emerged from his coma. And that's not all. Apparently, the Kumbakarna mask doesn't like to be made fun of, and those who do so must be prepared to receive Kumbakarna's wrath. One local child's crooked teeth arc believed to result from his parents' having insulted Kumbakarna. Kumbakarna is the representative of the army of giants who go to war against Rama, and the mask of Kumbakarna is believed to be the most sacred of all. So sacred is the mask, in fact, that it receives a special ritual before each performance, to avoid fatality. Prior to 4 each performance, the troupe distributes offerings. A black chicken is sacrificed prior to the entry of Kumbakarna' The blood of the chicken is believed to neutralize the giant's strength and power over his surrounds. Another story relates the experience of the mask maker responsible for the mask of Rangda (the symbol of evil). One day, the mask he was working on suddenly split into two. The mask maker then put the two pieces under his bed, and when he went to sleep he felt Rangda tempting him. The strange thing was that on awaking, he flounder the mask to be whole again.

SECULAR WAYANG
The wayang wong Tejakula is not only performed in the temple, however. Due to the abundance of requests for thern to perform in secular setting,in 1975 the trouve decided to establish a secular wayang wong, for performances outside the temple. In these secular performances, duplicates are substituted for the sacred masks. "The main aim of the secular wayang wong is as a tool for introducing our culture to outsiders. Moreover, with the secular performances, the

performers have become more diligent about rehearsing. As a result, the quality of the dances performed at the temple has improved, " said Nyoman Tusan. Since the establishment of the secular wayang wong, the troupe has received many invitations to perform - in Sweden and Japan as well as all over Bali and in jakarta.

Sardono W. Kusumo, a renowned Indonesian choreographer, has added fresh dramaturgical and aesthetic dimensions to the performance of wayang wong, without renouncing the essence of the performance. By adding a gong gede (a large gong) and cengceng (small cymbals) to the musical accompaniment, Sardono was able to augment the sense of violence in the war scene. "The variant of wayang wong performed in the temple is subject to strict stipulations and remains unchanged over time. The secular version frees artists to make their own interpretations," explained Tusan. Even in preparing for the secular performance, the performers undertake certain rituals. In the lead up to the performance in Sweden for instance, the ritual sacrifice was performed as usual. Journalists, backstage to report on the performance, witnessed the ritual. "They protested. They thought we were sadists. But once we explained the concept behind the sacrifice, they understood," recalled Nyoman Tusan. So how did they explain it? Partly, by referring to the concept of reincarnation. They said that after the chicken had been sacrificed, its soul would be transferred to a higher being. It could even be reborn as a human.

Photos by joko Sugianto