The Sasak Shadow Puppet Show

The Sasak Shadow Puppet Show, the Spirituality of Lombok Communities

The shadow leather puppet (wayang kulit) show of Sasak-Lombok does not only function as cultural entertainment, but it is also a part of the spiritual life of the communities in Lombok since long ago. In it, there are many noble ancestral teachings about the commitments to observe harmonious life, good conduct, and faithfulness within the observed religious beliefs.

Up to now, many people in Lombok are still eager to watch their ancestral inheritance in the form of the wayang kulit show. During the adat (traditional custom) functions, the Prophet’s birthday celebration and wedding parties, the wayang kulit performance is always attended by the audiences of various ages and social status. The dalangs (the puppeteers) usually can cleverly keep the audiences glued to their seats during the show.
As there are figures of common people in the Javanese wayang kulit, such as Semar, Petruk, Gareng and Bagong with their hilarious actions, the wayang kulit of Sasak (hereafter, Wayang Sasak) also has such figures, represented by Amaq Baok, Inak Litet, Keseq, and Amet. They regularly appear in the show to accompany the Islamic missionaries on their travels to propagate Islam in Lombok, represented by the leading figures such as Jayeng Rana, Umar Maya, Selandir, etc.

The Wayang Sasak has become one of the important entities in the development of Sasak Lombok culture in the past. The stories in the Wayang Sasak are derived from the legend of Amir Hamzah, which was at a later stage adapted by Yosodipuro II into Kawi language during the era of the Islamic Mataram Kingdom. Along with the flow of time, the masterpiece has undergone several changes, made by some Sasak poets, which later became the Serat Menak.

The derivation of the story from the above-mentioned source has also attested to the existence of the Wayang Sasak as the media for the Islamic propagation, different from the performance of wayang in Java which mainly tells about Mahabharata War or the wayang of Bali about religious ceremonies. The figures in the Wayang Sasak, such as Jayeng Rana, Umar Maya, Maktal, Selandir, Taptanus, etc, also show the evidence of acculturation between the Amir Hamzah characters and the Sasak authors’ versions which have a unique value.

Another point of difference between the Wayang Sasak and the wayang from other regions is that the performance of the Wayang Sasak does not need many crew and art equipment. When the story begins, the dalang is accompanied by two male assistants whose duty is to serve the dalang to display the figures of the wayang. Then, there is a set of simple musical instruments played by penyelak, kajar, perincik, penyuling, and pengabeh (such as small gong player, flutist, cymbal player etc).

One of the most famous dalangs in this region is HL Nasib AR, or more familiarly known as Mamik Nasib (63). In his simple house, in Perigi Village, District of Gerung, West Lombok, there is a small carved figure of an Islamic scholar, encircled by the Syahadat (the testimonial formula read when a person becomes a Moslem).

Right under the carving, there is another carving of a giant, complete with hideous teeth which, according to the owner, symbolizes the worldly desires and evils which must be controlled under the guidance of the religious teachings.

Mamiq Nasib has performed the wayang show since he was at year 5 of Sekolah Rakyat (SR, the Common People’s School, equal to the present Elementary School) in 1957. “The Wayang Sasak play was originally performed as the Islamic missionary media during the period of Islam propagation in Lombok a long time ago. The propagation was started from Bayan area, a village under Rinjani Mountain,” told Mamiq Nasib, who claimed that his performing skill was a natural talent.

The wayang show actually teaches about the human obligation to observe nature’s demands and obey God’s regulations. No matter how great the Jayeng Rana or Selandir figure is, as soon as the dalang puts them into its case, then both of them have no power whatsoever.

“Likewise, the human being is no different. No matter how great they are, how rich they are, if God wants them to die, then they die,” he continued.
The Sasak communities with their strong Islamic spirits still observe the spirit of wayang in their lives. The principles of obedience to God, being kind to others, living a simple life, and being friendly still exist up until now.

Sasak-Lombok comes from the phrase of sak-sak lomboq (must be straight). There is only one path for Lombok people to achieve the pleasure of their Lord, which is leading a straight life, not tending to lean here and there, and observing other positive things.
“Lenge tegaweq lenge tedait, bagus tegaweq bagus tedait (if we do bad deeds, we will get bad things, if we do good deeds, we will also get good things). This principle is inherent in each Sasak-Lombok person,” he expressed. (RA Majid)

source:enchanting-lomboksumbawa.com

Posted in: culture,Lombok Art