Performances alone will not guarantee the preservation of wayang--the Javanese shadow puppetry.
By
Runik Sri Astuti
·5 minutes read
Performances alone will not guarantee the preservation of wayang – the Javanese shadow puppetry. Without adequate references, the present and future generations will have difficulty exploring its noble cultural values. That is what motivates Surwedi (56) to persistently write wayang purwa plays in East Java to create a legacy.
The door to the house on the bank of the Mangetan canal in Bakungpringgondani village, Sidoarjo, East Java, was wide open on Sunday (11/22/2020). The host welcomed his guests. Hospitality was not only shown through attitude and manner but also through various culinary treats.
In celebratory fashion, dishes from various snacks to a heavy lunch were presented. While not a restaurant menu, it is no less tempting, because it is based on sincerity. That is a glimpse of the atmosphere at the residence of Surwedi, a puppet master of East Javanese wayang.
The many visits from guests are nothing new. Over the years, the house of the artist, who is also adept at carving puppets, has become a “Candradimuka crater” or a training center for students who are currently pursuing the Dual System Education (PSG) in the art of puppetry and karawitan (traditional Javanese music) at the high school level.
"Up to 18 children attend PSG [classes] here at the same time. The average time taken is one month, only recently the curriculum was changed to two months," said Surwedi.
Even though they stay a month, Surwedi does not demand compensation, because his goal is to share knowledge. Currently, he is concerned about the change in PSG policy to make the program two months long.
He discussed his concern with 12 other East Javanese puppeteers and fellow members of the East Javanese Puppeteer Training Forum (Forladaja), which was initiated by Surwedi in 2006.
East Javanese wayang, according to Surwedi, refers to puppets created in the city of Surabaya and its surroundings. The scope of development is only in the areas of Surabaya, Sidoarjo, Gresik, Lamongan, Mojokerto, Pasuruan, Jombang, and Kediri. In addition, parts of Malang Raya and Madura, especially Sumenep.
This puppet has another name, namely jekdong wayang or dakdong wayang. The word \'jekdong\' comes from the sound of kepyak percussion combined with the sound of a drum with a gong. Meanwhile \'dakdong\' comes from the sound of a drum combined with a gong that occurs when the puppeteer demonstrates a fighting scene at the beginning of a battle scene.
Surwedi wants the East Javanese wayang art to be better known. There are many tourist sites that require tourist attractions, such as the ruwatan tradition of cleansing the village from a curse or misfortune, or for weddings or birthdays. Unfortunately, performances do not guarantee the preservation of a culture.
The collection of writings is based on the system of periodization or division of time in wayang plays.
The desire to preserve the East Javanese puppet art, while at the same time enriching the younger generation, is behind Surwedi’s intention to immortalize the East Javanese purwa wayang play in written form. The collection of writings is based on the system of periodization or division of time in wayang plays.
The first and second books were published in 2007 entitled Layang Kandha Kelir Jawatimuran: Seri Mahabharata – the East Javanese Layang Kandha Kelir of the Mahabharata series and Layang Kandha Kelir Jawatimuran: Seri Ramayana Lakon Dasamuka Lair Dumugi Asgsohe Sumantri – the East Javanese Layang Kandha Kelir of the Ramayana series in Dasamuka Lair Dumugi Asgsohe Sumantri act. Three years later, the third book of the Layang Kandha Kelir series was published, Kumpulan Lakon Wayang Purwa Gagrak Jawatimuran – the East Javanese Purwa Gagrak Wayang act.
To write a book, Surwedi went through many obstacles. Born as the son of one of the most famous puppeteers of East Java, he inherited his artistic blood from his father. He has honed his puppeteer talent since he was still in elementary school.
His talent strengthened when he participated in the selection of the child puppeteer in East Java in 1979 and won second place. At a puppeteer festival in Sidoarjo in 1984, Surwedi came fourth. Feeling dissatisfied, he decided to deepen his knowledge.
Surwedi studied with Ki Suleman, an East Javanese puppeteer who lives in Pasuruan. His increasingly honed puppet skills earned him an offer to teach at the Indonesian Karawitan Middle School (SMKI) in Surabaya in 1987.
When teaching students, Surwedi encountered difficulty in finding teaching materials. The learning method developed was recording the memory of the senior puppeteer, who kept the narrative legacy of the play in East Java. When asked about the source, they said it was from the father, grandmother or teacher. There are no formal references.
The process of collecting plays is a separate task. Surwedi\'s efforts initially did not go smoothly because he was rejected by a senior puppeteer who was worried that he would have competition if the puppet story was opened widely. However, after a long struggle, support from the senior puppeteers finally came.
Apart from that, Surwedi had also fulfill many requirements, one of which was that his work had to be recognized by at least 10 puppeteers. This explains why, even though the desire to write was sparked in 1987, his book was only published in 2007.
Surwedi
Place, DOB:Sidoarjo, June 26, 1964
Wife:Suherlis (55)
Child:Tejo Sulistiono (38)
Education:
- State elementary school (SD) Madubronto Krian (1976)
- State junior high school (SMP) I Krian (1979)
- State senior high school (SMA) Krian (1983/1984)
- Bachelor of Economics from Institute of Economics (STIE) Al-Anwar Mojokerto (graduated 2011)
Position:
- Secretary of East Java Ringgit Purwa Association (Paripuja) 1989
- Management of the Indonesian Puppeteer Association (Pepadi) Sidoarjo chapter in 2003