Wayang Puppets
Puppet theatre (wayang) is an important aspect of Javanese, Sundanese and Balinese culture dating back to the 15th century. Most wayang plays are based on the Indian epics, the Mahabarata and the Ramayana although there are variations - depending on the type of puppets - using other stories. In 2003, Unesco proclaimed wayang to be a masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity thus validating its importance to world culture. The East Asia Museum covers the four major categories of wayang puppet theatre; Wayang Kulit (leather shadow puppets), Wayang Golek (3-dimensional wooden puppets), Wayang Klitik (2-dimensional wooden puppets) and Wayang Beber (painted scrolls depicting wayang scenes). It also features some extremely rare examples of the little-known "Wayang Thi Thi" which are wayang kulit puppets based on Chinese court and military characters.
| A short film about Wayang Puppet Theater by Unesco |
