Before there were words, before symbols gave rise to written language, there were stories. Tales that regaled the sacred knowledge that begot religions. Legends of our origins, of battles between gods and demons, of kings and heroes who upheld virtue against the forces of evil. These most ancient of stories, retold time and time again have transcended human history. And while most have been forgotten, there are still those who seek to preserve them.
Ki Seno Nugroho, a shadow puppeteer known as a dalang, reaches beside him into an immense wooden chest called the cempala. He pulls out an intricately designed leather puppet and stabs the pointed handle into the banana tree trunk mounted before him. The character is Arjuna, the beloved warrior king from the Mahabharata. Up goes his thin leather arms in reverence to the heavenly realm. The dalang speaks in ancient Javanese as the shadows begin to tell the story…
...Of the Wayang Kulit.
