Understanding the Meaning of Wayang Kulit Performance using Thick Description Approach

Mario Nugroho Willyarto, Krismarliyanti, Ulani Yunus

2018

Abstract

This paper described the meaning of Wayang Kulit in Javanese philosophy, a brief description of the figures represented by the puppets. Wayang is one of the cultural heritages of Java which is very deep understanding of the culture and character of the people of Indonesia. The meaning of symbols of wayang is the focus of this paper. The symbols are represented by character of Semar, Bagong, Petruk and Gareng. What is the role wayang in daily life, especially for Indonesian people, is becoming the main discussion as well. There are a lot of wayang performances that have a deep meaning of the life itself. Although there are some scholars who say that wayang is originally from India but it is not proved and, in the end, people accepted that wayang came from Java. Opinion about wayang originated from India was because the story in the puppet was adapted from the Mahabharata story originating from India. Using the concept of thick description by Clifford Geertz, the author tries to explain about the history and character of the puppet figures according to Javanese philosophy. Prominent figures such as Semar, Gareng, Petruk and Bagong were the reflection of the ideal human being depicted with an imperfect physical form. From the 4 characters, the author tried to give a picture of the meaning that there are symbolization in Wayang Kulit and the meaning of the characters. Apart from the character of the Panakawan, the author discussed about Pandawa, Kurawa and Payon. Some of the Wayang Kulit performances, in Indonesia, have specific purposes. Such as, describing politics, education and culture. The interpretation sometimes is not as simple as it seen. The understanding of one is very much dependent on the understanding of wayang itself. Therefore, this paper is to give more knowledge of audience so that they can understand the deep meaning of the performance.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Willyarto M., Krismarliyanti. and Yunus U. (2018). Understanding the Meaning of Wayang Kulit Performance using Thick Description Approach. In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Social Sciences, Laws, Arts and Humanities - Volume 1: BINUS-JIC, ISBN 978-989-758-515-9, pages 344-349. DOI: 10.5220/0010007700002917

in Bibtex Style

@conference{binus-jic18,
author={Mario Nugroho Willyarto and Krismarliyanti and Ulani Yunus},
title={Understanding the Meaning of Wayang Kulit Performance using Thick Description Approach},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Social Sciences, Laws, Arts and Humanities - Volume 1: BINUS-JIC,},
year={2018},
pages={344-349},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0010007700002917},
isbn={978-989-758-515-9},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Social Sciences, Laws, Arts and Humanities - Volume 1: BINUS-JIC,
TI - Understanding the Meaning of Wayang Kulit Performance using Thick Description Approach
SN - 978-989-758-515-9
AU - Willyarto M.
AU - Krismarliyanti.
AU - Yunus U.
PY - 2018
SP - 344
EP - 349
DO - 10.5220/0010007700002917