TOPENG JAWA
TOPENG
Javanese mask, this is Panji Story and is one of the various mask types in Nusantara. It tells that Panji Story developed in East Java and spread out to many regions.
In today’s Unboxing Heritage episode, we will discuss about Javanese masks, from East Java, Central Java, and West Java.
Indonesia has a long history of masks. Since the pre-historic time, the shape of masks, particularly gold masks, has been recorded in many decorative motifs, such as on jars, nekaras, axes, sarcophagi, and grave supplies found at the Pasir Angin site in Bogor from 1,000 BCE.
There are also burial face-cover masks found in Gilimanuk, Makassar, East Java, and Bada Valley where the megalith statue of Central Sulawesi is located. The mask, formerly known as Tapel, Raket, or Topen, was recorded in several books, including Arjuna Wiwaha, Sumanasanstaka, Smara Dahana, and even Kakawin Negarakertagama written in 1365 BCE tells the story of Sri Maharaja Hayamwuruk and the Queen performing a mask dance from the Panji Story. Mask and tradition are interrelated tangible and intangible cultural heritage. This is a story of three types of masks that lived and thrived in the hamlets of Kedungmonggo in Malang, Bantul in Yogyakarta, and Pekandangan in Indramayu, with the legendary Mbah Mun, Kyai Goweng, and Mimi Rasinah as the main characters.
.:: THE STORY ::.
The story starts in Padepokan Asmarabangun in Kedungmonggo Village, Malang, that was a dance studio and mask-making home industry for generations. It started with Mr. Karimun, or better known as Mbah Mun who passed on dance choreography and mask-laying technique to Handoyo, his grandson who is the fifth generation of the Malangan mask tradition.
The art of mask in Kedungmonggo has been around since circa 1900, starting with Mbah Mun’s grandfather, Mbah Serun. Mbah Serun studied from Mr Gunawan from Mbanglan, Kromengan, Kawi Mountain. At first, this mask art was called Pendowo Limo, taken from the story of Purwa’s entrance into Ramayana Mahabarata.
Mbah Serun passed this on to his son, Kiman or also known as Mbah Tahyo, and then on to Mbah Karimun. Things were difficult during Mbah Karimun’s time because it was during the colonial era, from 1945 to 1965. Starting in 1965, he went on a hiatus for a few years because of the G30S/PKI movement that forbade any forms of art. But slowly Mbah Karimun received help from his son Taslan, Taslan Harsono to restart the art form.
Before we had what we called panen raya (red. grand harvest) where during the harvest period each village would organize performances. It was in the 70s where people were starting to order masks again, and in 1978 Kedungmonggo wayang topeng (red. mask puppet) became the East Java representative to perform in a festival in Jakarta. We were in Jakarta for a month, and coming back from there we started receiving attention from the government, who then built us Padepokan Asmarabangun.
Mr Taslan, my father passed away in 1992, when I was still in the second year of junior high. My father’s only source of income was from mask-making, and thus my mother said to me, “Son, we have mask orders. If we don’t make them we won’t have any money.” That was the first time I learned how to make mask, at the same time I learned how to dance as well.
Before I didn’t want to, but I still learned from Mbah Mun. Mbah Mun had an accident in 1996, breaking both of his legs. So automatically I had to support him to keep the art alive. We received orders that forced me to learn how to organize this art performance, under his guidance, of course. That was how I learned. Stylistically, Mbah Mun’s mask tends to stern and on the rougher side, despite when he was making a Panji mask, but I suppose he put his own character as a typical Madurese into the mask.
I still have a few collections of Mbah Mun’s masks, and some of my father’s too. Their dedication to this art is what encouraged me to continue, eventhough there are fewer fans now. I see how dedicated they were to this art, whether they have food on the table or not. I feel a sense of responsibility now to continue this tradition.
In other area, such as in Malang, the dance movement is smoother, raising the hands or the legs is done slowly, so it doesn’t have a broken movement as in Kedungmonggo. In Kedungmonggo, we teach the Satria dancer to bring his hand up to his armpit.
Mbah Mun always taught Kedungmonggo’s Topeng Malang as an art form with strong and broken movements. He also taught different hand gestures, such as this for Panji character, and gestures that we call Supit Urang Tertutup for Sabrang and Satria characters, and there’s also this gesture called Boyo Mangap (gaping crocodile) for the king characters like this Klono.
.:: GALLERY ::.
