Indonesian mask, seamless pieces (Part 1)

PART 1: BARONG MASKS IN BALI ISLAND

Indonesia, Unity in Diversity

Like a heap of stone was sprayed on the Earth by God, Indonesia floated on the sea with more than seventeen thousand islands. This "island country" is more special because God cleverly chose the position for his work, leaving it lying across the equator and blocking the two Pacific and Indian oceans. This country is not a solid line but it has the duty of connection, forcing it to find unity in its diversity.

The mandala political_model (see Mandala) of power is the gravitational force that holds these incoherent centres. It forms an alliance that appears in a uniform culture but has specific differences belong to geographically distribution. Mask dance including Barong, Wayang Wong and Topeng will tell the story about the unity of diversity in a unique culture from this very special Southeast Asian country.

Barong Dance

The eternal story of the battle between evil and good and the parallel exists between them is reflected in a scared myth of Barong dance (see also:barong).

A decoration Barong mask in my collection

The story of the battle between Barong and Rangda is almost the same, but the Barong masks differ in each region because ones have a guardian image of their own forests and lands. Each Barong for each region is modelled on a different animal depending on the belief.

Rangda and Barong Ket mask

The most common Barong figure is the lion called Barong Ket (Basnapati Rajah). Barong sacred masks has many roles in Balinese society. It can be used in Barong dances, used in village ceremonies or for processions, and appears on the altar of the Hindu temple. Each village holds its Barong Ket masks at the sacred shrine and regularly sacrifices it for protecting the village. 

The origin of Barong dates back to ancient times and is not so clear, its origins could be from animist' cults, before Hinduism appeared, when villagers still believed in the supernatural protective power of animals (source: mascasia).

Barong Bangkal is barong in the shape of an adult boar. In Bali, male boar is called bangkal, while female boar is called bangkung. That is why this barong is also called Barong Bangkung, sometimes it is called Barong Celeng. 

This mask is used on many different occasions. It can be used in festivals at temples and can also be performed on the streets for ten days between the Kuningan and Galungan (New Year) festivities. During this ngelawang days, Barong Bangkal was released from the road and from village to village, dancing to the beat of the esplanade (source: ceroart).

Barong Bangkal mask (source: mulpix)

Ngelawang means wandering, it is a ritual supported by powerful mystical energies from sacred objects such as Barong and Rangda masks. When these objects are brought outside the temple or village it is understood as a form of protection for the whole community. The presence of the scared masks is always welcomed with a sense of reverence by the community. Those who can pick up the hair of Barong or Rangda can confidently turn it into panacea or use it to make a talisman (source: mulpix).

Barong Macan mask (source: thejamart)

Barong Macan (Tiger Barong) represents a strong spirit of a tiger, the symbol of Brahma, who protects the village from the calamities and souls of the deceased. He is also said to keep the balance between the earthly world and the spiritual world. Characterized by large protruding eyes with broad mouths to expose long fangs, this mask is a great example of expressing the strong characters of a face, its expressive power represents for Bali sculpture art. Performs this Barong is similar to Barong Bangkal, which is 'ngelawang' around the village in traditional Balinese dancing along with the Gamelan Batel instruments.

Gajah means elephant. As its implication in the name, Barong Gajah is embodied in an elephant form. This type of Barong is very rare because of its unique sacred and not so popular. Barong Gajah can only be seen in some villages of Gianyar, Tabanan, Badung and Bangli. Only on special occasions, these barongs will ngelawang around the village similar to Barong Bangkal or Barong Macan.

Barong Asu is like a dog. Same as Barong Gajah, Barong Asu is also rare, found only in some villages in the Tabanan and Badung areas, with similar ngelawang performance around the villages.

Barong Gajah mask (left) và Barong Asu mask (right)

There are many barongs in the form of four-legs that are very close to everyday life, such as ravens (barong guak), goats (barong kambing), bulls (barong lembu), horses (barong jaran), or moose (barong rusa).the barong sai (Chinese lions) is similar to the lion in Chinese lion dance.

From left to right, ravens (barong guak), goats (barong kambing), bulls (barong lembu) masks

Lions, tigers, wild boars and elephants are powerful creatures, always received the respect of human beings, but dogs, goats, cows, horses, deer and crows can still be gods by the spirit of animism belief a very popular in Asian religious thought. Perhaps their different forms in each region are affected by the scary animals that some community inherits from their ancestors. The lion is a popular scared animal of South Asia, but the wild boar seems come from Tibet far away, while the elephant comes from nearby Hindu areas nearby this country. Each animal is different but play a same role all over the country, the most sacred and powerful Barong Ket play the most important fight to protect good from evil only. Barong Bangkal, Barong Macan, Barong Gajah and Barong Asu bring the power of the divine to the community, in simple and intimate forms.

Barong Naga mask of Basoeki Abdullah

(source: cagarbudaya)

Barong's form does not only express in the animal symbols of original religion but also can see in another form. Another Barong can be found in the Barong Naga mask as a dragon face, which plays an important role in the culture of its birthplace such as Bali, Sulawesi, Timor and other islands. . Barong Naga Mask is a combination of dragons and snakes; it helps to find things and acts as a guard. When treated badly or disrespectfully, Naga will bring plague to human being such as earthquakes, storms or other types of natural disasters. It is believed that Naga is the guardian of the treasures of the world. Barong Naga masks are not found in the form of ngelawang, it seems to be a sacred object to hang in worship places rather than a performance tool like the five mentioned above.

No one sure about the original of the current Barong dance, but the two main assumptions should include the best explain of Barong root, one said that Barong dance has original from the local religion, another one suppose it come from the effect of India.

Bali Aga called them "Original Balinese", meaning that they were the original inhabitants of this island before the Majapa migrated from Java around 1340; they have a very special Barong form called is Barong Brutuk. This is a very rare ritual held in Bali Agar, an aboriginal village in Trunyan. Barong Brutuk is held infrequently because the villagers only perform this ceremony when they experience cases of being unclean (e.g. death or disease) occurring in the village. Twenty-one masks were used in ritual and only unmarried men attended. Like other Barongs, Barong Brutuk's purpose is to control evil spirits.

Barong Brutuk mask (source: barong brutuk)

The Barong Brutuk mask is different from the scary animal form of the Barong masks above. They look simple but full of personality, closer to the person than the animal. Masks can have firm and strong characters of man faces, other masks look feminine while have old men faces. This is perhaps the oldest form of Barong performed by indigenous Balinese to describe the lives of their ancestors in ancient times. The results of cultural interplay between indigenous and exotic elements form the rich in Barong forms now a day. The diversification is showed in form by time, as an example of Barong Kedingkling and Barong Landung mask below.

The Barong Kedingkling mask

Scholars say that Barong originated in India, suppose that Barong was derived from the Sanskrit word "Bahruang". Bahruang is a supernatural creature and is often called the guardian of good things. India's influence on Barong can be best seen in Barong Kedingkling, also known as Barong Blasblasan or Barong Nong Nong Kling. This round mask is different from other forms of Barong masks, which are mask costume used in Wayang Wong dance. The story told in Barong Kedingkling is also taken from the Indian epic Ramayana. This is the reason why Barong Kedingkling is considered the origin of Wayang Wong today. Barong Kedingkling is very popular in Gianyar, Bangli and Klungkung, which are said to be the original of Balinese dance

Barong Landung mask is a story about the cultural mix and acculturation of this crossroads land. This day it is easy to find two giant humanoid puppets, one male and one female at temples of the Bali village, it is worshiped and revered as a guardian of society. Barong Landung is believed to be the embodiment of a marriage between King Balingkang named Jaya Pangus and Chinese princess Kang Ching Wei. Male Barong Landung called Jero Gede. The mask looks pretty scary, dark brown with prominent teeth. He has a split chin and long ears with coin earrings. This mask depicts the beauty of Balinese once a time: hard and firm. Female Barong Landung name is Jero Luh, wife of Jero Gede. The mask looked pretty funny with a prominent forehead. The slanted eyes combined with a sweet smile and red lips. Like her husband, Jero Luh also has long ears. This mask is yellowish white like natural Chinese skin (source:baronglandung).

Barong Landung's love story turns back to the 12th century, when the economic relationship between Bali and China becomes intimate. This may have been a political marriage but was covered under the legendary colour of a love triangle between man and god (1). Regardless of the outcome of the affair, the reverence of the Balinese with the Barong Landung symbol indicates the importance of integrating foreign culture into indigenous culture in Indonesia's development.

Barong Landung mask at Jam Art collection (source: thejamart)

On the other hand related to the spread influence, in relation to the Ondel-ondel mask of the Betawi people in Jakarta, Ondel-ondel is thought to be a variant of Barong Landung but not own religious meaning because most Betawi embrace Islam, they do not have a conception of deities as Balinese. "Both of these pairs of effigies are thought to be closely related. It is quite possible that the Ondel-ondel was Barong Landung that was brought to Jakarta by Balinese servants during the 17-18th centuries. During those times the slave trade by Balinese rulers was very active. The large mass of Balinese people taken to Jakarta resulted in almost half of the total Indonesian population in Batavia (the designation of Jakarta at that time) made up of Balinese" (source: barong landung story).

The "Barong fragments" seems discrete but it becomes a perfect whole when they are put together. Barong becomes a notion of the fighting of good against evil rather or depicts the battle between virtue (dharma) and sleaze (adharma), than a form of religious practice. This idea explains the richness, uniformity and distinctness of the many forms of Barong masks mentioned above. Facing with the constant impact of external cultures, the "island of gods" (2) absorbs foreign beliefs, tolerate them, and assimilate them. The form may be different but the basic conception of the balance of natural and supernatural powers in the universe is not change, they struggle but do not destruction, all dualism exists. Barong has successfully done this, Barong has proved that religion is life, to be life it must be dynamic and not dogmatic.

Notes:

(1). The story told the only big problem in this marriage is that they do not seem to be blessed to have children. This is a big problem because a dynasty always needs to have descendants. The king decided to meditate on Mount Batur to seek guidance from the gods to be able to have children. In Batur, the king met the Lake goddess Dewi Danu, who had a relationship with the goddess, and finally, a son was born. Three years passed, Kang Ching Wei  decided to look for her husband in Batur and she was shocked by the fact she met there. Dewi Danu denied the incident; the king had told her he was still single. Goddess was very angry. In his anger, the god cursed Jaya Pangus and his queen, who were later turned into a pair of dolls called Barong Landung. Later these ‘barongs’ were placed at the temples and were only brought out to ‘attend’ ceremonies held at other temples or to ‘go on village parades (source: barong landung story).

(2) Another name of the Bali island.