Shadow - The Malaysian Way

Posted on July 14, 2007

photohunters

I will inject some culture in today’s Photo Hunters.

mott-shadow

This is called “Wayang Kulit”. The top two photos are the shadows, and the bottom three are the puppets that create the shadows. All images were scanned in (as they were hardcopy photos) , so, I apologize in advance if it’s a lil blur.

Wayang - means show or play or movie in Malay.

Kulit - means skin in Malay.

I’ve seen a Wayang Kulit play itself, and it’s extremely beautiful. It’s basically puppets on sticks, and it’s shadows are cast on a white screen. The audience sits in front of this white screen and watches these shadows.

Briefly, the puppets itself take a long time to make, as it is by hand. Each character is distinct and have very intricate features. These puppets are made from buffalo or cow hide. The storyline, music and mood helps transport the viewers back into time…and one can get lost in it.

It was once banned in Kelantan (A state in Malaysia), for going against the Muslim teachings….but I hear that it’s now been adapted to portray local stories and folklore.

For some of you who might be interested in the history, can read more here.

Viewed 73 times by 36 viewers

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!

» Filed Under Photo Hunters

Comments

26 Responses to “Shadow - The Malaysian Way”

  1. sasha on July 14th, 2007 2:07 pm

    but ah…wayang kulit and kuda kepang are believe to have “souls” living in it. So before performance gotto do some prayers to them before using them. Correct ah?

    *whispers* yes..yes… u’re right…

  2. Jose on July 14th, 2007 2:14 pm

    Very cool shadows. I like it.

    Thanks!

  3. maiylah on July 14th, 2007 2:17 pm

    wonderful take on this week’s theme!
    love the presentation. i am really intrigued by the puppets itself. such craftmanship!

    thanks for dropping by,
    and happy hunting! :grin:

    Thank you!!! And thank you for dropping by!

  4. kissedalotatoads on July 14th, 2007 2:19 pm

    Those make for fantastic puppet shows. I enjoyed the article about them. Great take on this weeks theme and thanks for sharing.

    Thanks for swinging by!

  5. Criz Lai on July 14th, 2007 2:21 pm

    I was thinking of that too but in the end could not find a good lighting. Great shot on the shadow play. Have a nice weekend! http://crizlai.blogspot.com/2007/07/photo-hunters-shadow_14.html

    huh? lighting …what lighting??? My pix are soooo bad!! HA HA HA!

  6. yenjai.net on July 14th, 2007 2:23 pm

    You successfully made it into a really meaningful post ^-^

    *cheesy grins* thanks..saya anak malaysia mah…

  7. Marsha on July 14th, 2007 2:24 pm

    I am very interested in the Malaysian artifacts I’ve recently been exposed to through PH….yours are just as unique. Thanx for sharing!

    grins,

    Hee hee..thanks!!!!! Thanks for dropping by as well!

  8. Ann on July 14th, 2007 2:56 pm

    wow, great shots :) rich culture :)

    Hee hee…actually quite bad shots…but good photoshopping!!! Thanks! and thanks for dropping by!

  9. meeyauw on July 14th, 2007 4:41 pm

    I’ve heard of this only once before. It is so fascinating! Thank you for this post.

    And thank you for dropping by! Hope it was interesting!

  10. jams o donnell on July 14th, 2007 4:50 pm

    Great photos. I do like the puppets! Have a great weekend

    thank you so much! thanks for dropping by too!

  11. julie on July 14th, 2007 5:28 pm

    Was able to watch Wayang Kulit before in a museum, it was very nice!

    have a nice weekend!

    that’s great!!!!! and thanks for dropping by!!!

  12. hanneng on July 14th, 2007 5:38 pm

    Mott, great post to take this opportunity to introduce Malaysian culture to the world.
    Good job.

    hee hee…thanks!!!!!!!! and thanks for dropping by!

  13. TorAa on July 14th, 2007 5:40 pm

    This very impressive work

    really? I thot it was quite bad…but the photoshoppin’ made it look nicer! ha ha! Thanks for dropping by!

  14. Michele on July 14th, 2007 6:27 pm

    These are absolutely the coolest things I have seen… awesome!

    thanks! and thank you for whizzing by!

  15. helen_H on July 14th, 2007 7:23 pm

    Hey, makes great wall decoration item! :-P

    hmmm….true…..but I’d rather not. They might scare the heebeejeebeez outta me!

  16. Dragonheart on July 14th, 2007 7:56 pm

    Wow! Very cool. :) Those are amazing puppets and shadows. Thanks for sharing some information about the puppets!

    <a href=”http://dragonheartsdomain.blogspot.com/2007/07/photo-hunters-shadow.html” rel=”nofollow”>My shadow</a>.

    You’re welcome! And thanks for droppin’ by!

  17. Gattina on July 14th, 2007 7:59 pm

    Very interesting and very special !!

    Thanks! And thank you for dropping by!

  18. Che-Cheh on July 14th, 2007 9:58 pm

    Wow this is a great way to show our Malaysian culture. Kudos to you. Well use of the theme. :grin:

    Hee hee…..thank you…….and thanks for dropping by.

  19. JC on July 14th, 2007 10:03 pm

    How fun, and interesting… great choice for the theme!

    Thanks! And thanks for dropping by!

  20. And Miles To Go.... on July 14th, 2007 11:23 pm

    wow, that is beautiful!!

    thanks! Thanks for dropping by!

  21. eph2810 on July 14th, 2007 11:44 pm

    Very cool - I have seen plays of it before. Thank you so much for sharing.

    Have a wonderful weekend and happy hunting.

    HEY! Thanks for dropping by..glad you’ve seen them!

  22. Linda on July 15th, 2007 1:32 am

    Thank you so much for sharing some very interesting shadows.

    Glad you liked them! Thanks for dropping by!

  23. Blur Mommy on July 15th, 2007 2:42 pm

    I remember watching this a long time ago. Thks for the memories!! :grin:

    Hope they were good ones!!! Thanks for dropping by!

  24. PowersTwinB on July 16th, 2007 8:53 am

    Wow! terrific photo for the hunt this week! I love the history with your post! My photo is up, please come and visit

  25. zara's mama on July 16th, 2007 9:50 pm

    But nowadays, can also get the puppet as cheap souvenir liao.

    Btw, when you watched it, you can understand the Malay?

  26. Michelle Marsh on January 12th, 2008 7:22 am

    Hi there…Man i just love your blog, keep the cool posts comin..holy Friday . Michelle Marsh

Leave a Reply