Wayang Kulit
/ˈwa.jaŋ ˈku.lɪt/noun
A traditional Indonesian and Malaysian shadow-puppet theater performed with intricately carved leather puppets.
Did you know?In a wayang kulit performance, the puppeteer—called the dalang—traditionally voices every character, directs the musicians, and guides the entire mythic drama.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Malayo-Polynesian
PMP
*kulit
“Skin or hide; the ancestral root of Malay and Indonesian kulit.”
Early Old Javanese
Old Javanese
wayang
“A shadow, figure, or theatrical puppet; the term’s deeper origin is debated, though it is traditionally associated with shadow figures.”
9th–10th Century
Old Javanese
wayang kulit
“Leather shadow figures used in a developing Javanese puppet-theater tradition.”
15th–16th Century
Javanese/Malay
wayang kulit
“A mature shadow-puppet performance tradition featuring leather puppets, a screen, light, music, and epic narratives.”
20th Century
Indonesian/English
wayang kulit
“The Indonesian shadow-puppet art form, increasingly documented and performed internationally.”
2008
UNESCO
Wayang puppet theatre
“Recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.”