Wayang beber

Wayang beber
TypesTraditional puppet theatre
Ancestor artsJavanese people
Originating cultureIndonesia
Originating eraHindu - Buddhist civilisations
Wayang Puppet Theatre
The Wayang Kulit performance by the Indonesian famous "dalang" (puppet master) Manteb Soedharsono, with the story "Gathutkaca Winisuda", in Bentara Budaya Jakarta, Indonesia, on 31 July 2010
CountryIndonesia
CriteriaPerforming arts, Traditional craftsmanship
Reference063
RegionAsia and the Pacific
Inscription history
Inscription2008 (3rd session)
ListRepresentative List

Wayang Kulit (the leather shadow puppet), Wayang Klithik (the flat wooden puppet), Wayang Golek (the three-dimensional wooden puppet)

Wayang beber (Javanese: ꦮꦪꦁꦧꦺꦧꦺꦂ) is an Indonesian wayang performance art whose presentation is manifested in a stretch sheets of paper or cloth with pictures in the stylized wayang accompanied by a narration by a dalang.[1] Wayang beber performances emerged and developed in Java in pre-Islamic times, but continued into the Islamic kingdoms (such as the Sultanate of Mataram). The stories shown are taken from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. After Islam became the main religion in Java, more Panji stories were shown.[2] Wayang beber bears a strong resemblance to narrative in the form of pictorial ballads common at annual fairs in medieval and early modern Europe. They too suffered the same fate—nearly extinct, although there are still groups of artists who support wayang beber in places like Surakarta (Solo) in Central Java.

  1. ^ "Kisah Wayang Beber, Wayang Tertua di Indonesia", Indonesia.go.id
  2. ^ "The metamorphosis of wayang beber", Jakarta Post