Shadow Puppets are an ancient form of storytelling using
opaque, often articulated figures in front of an illuminated
backdrop.
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In Indonesia (notably Java and Bali), shadow puppet plays are
known as Wayang Kulit.
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In Javanese, Wayang means shadow or imagination.
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Kulit means skin and refers to the leather that puppets are
made from.
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The stories presented are usually mythical and morality tales,
with a battle between good and evil.
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But when and where did actual shadow puppetry originate? In
actual fact, shadow puppetry is the oldest form of puppetry in the
world. The story goes that over 2000 years ago, the Emperor of the
Han Dynasty, Wu, missed his favourite concubine after she died of
illness so much, that he lost the desire to do anything, including
reigning over China, the country he loved.
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One of his ministers came to the rescue. After seeing some
children playing with dolls, he noticed the shadows that the dolls
cast, and had an idea. He cut a female shape out of donkey leather,
creating eleven separate pieces for her joints, and dressed her in
painted clothes. His idea? To bring the emperor's concubine back to
life
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Using a lamp to cast shadows on the wall. the minister made the
favoured concubine dance again. This story is recorded in the
official history books and is thought to be the origin of shadow
puppetry!
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This new form of entertainment spread throughout China as the
Manchu rulers spread. It was a show with no language barrier and
also started to be used in religious ceremonies, in a manner that
allowed the living to communicate with the dead
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India, Turkey and Greece also enjoyed shadow puppetry
throughout the ages. Such plays were important in India in the 16th
century, and the puppets used were generally the largest. The plays
were performed under the eye of Shiva, patron god of puppets. They
were usually religious and based on epic stories. In Java and Bali,
such epics are performed all night!
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In fact, the Indian folklore surrounding shadow puppets is a
wonderful tale in itself. The legend states that the shadow dolls
were once basic blocks of wood, but one special toymaker would turn
this wood into amazing dolls, giving them separate, moving limbs.
Lord Shiva and the goddess Parvati visited the shop of this
toymaker, and Parvati was so taken with the dolls that she asked
Shiva to allow their souls to enter the dolls and cause them to
dance. This inspired the toymaker further, and he created string
puppets.
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Ancient shadow puppets of the Ottoman and Byzantine empires
were the forebears of theatres in Greece. These featured a main
character named Karagiozi, a hump-backed man with a large nose and
one arm longer than the other.
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Shadow plays spread throughout Europe in the 1700's, first
through Italy and moving into France. The early 1900's saw the
creation of silhouette animation, created by a German named Lotte
Reiniger, which saw shadow puppets filmed frame by frame.
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hadow puppet entertainment did not catch on in America,
however, until after the American Revolution.
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While traditional shadow puppets are flat and made from
leather, modern shadow puppetry sees plays manipulated with
computers or film, with many involving full orchestras, intricate
scenery and more. Some cultures continue the tradition of the
ancient shadow puppets, however, and there are still many shadow
plays with simple backdrops. It is a theatre art with lasting
appeal, as puppets can be projected to enormous, larger than life
proportions, or tiny images that could fit in the palm of your
hand!
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These puppets, called Wayang Kulit, are from the Indonesian
island of Java. Shadow puppets are popular all over Asia. These
puppets are used to tell story of the Ramayana - an epic tale from
India, which is more than 2000 years old. This story is well known
all over the world. It is the story of Prince Rama as he tries to
rescue his wife Sita from the demon king Ravana. Rama is helped
along the way by the monkey warrior Hanuman and, after a long
battle, Rama defeats Ravana. He returns home, guided by the lamps
of villagers across the country. This part of the story is
remembered at Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights.
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These types of puppet are carefully cut out of buffalo skin and
then decorated with paint. Tiny holes are punched all over the
puppet to create the outlines and textures of the characters
clothes. The puppets are used as part of a performance that happens
at night and can last for many hours. Hundreds of puppets are
controlled by the Dalang (puppeteer) who moves them in front of a
lamp to create shadows on a screen. The story is accompanied by
music, which helps to create an atmosphere and to emphasise
dramatic parts of the story.