where did wayang kulit originated from?
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Wayang kulit, shadow puppets are prevalent in Java and Bali, are without a doubt the best known of the Indonesian wayang. Kulit means skin and refers to the leather construction of the puppets that are carefully chiseled with very fine tools and supported with carefully shaped buffalo horn handles and control rods.\n\nThe stories are usually drawn from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata or the Serat Menak. The island of Lombok has developed its own style of Serat Menak called wayang sasak.\n\nThe clown characters are called Punakawan. Semar is the father of Gareng (oldest son), Petruk, and Bagong (youngest son). Instead of being based in the great epics, it is more of a political cabaret, dealing with gossip and contemporary affairs.\n\nThe figures themselves vary from place to place. In Central Java the city of Surakarta (Solo) is most famous and is the most commonly imitated syle of puppets. Regional styles of Shadow puppets can also be found in West Java, Banyumas, Cirebon, Semarang, and East Java. Bali produces more compact and naturalistic figures, and Lombok has figures representing real people and such real-world objects as automobiles, airplanes and ships.\n\nHistorically, the visual portion of the performance consisted of shadows cast on a cotton screen by an oil lamp. Today, the source of light is more likely to be a spotlight.\n\nThe handwork involved in making a wayang kulit figure that is suitable for a performance takes several weeks, with the artists working together in groups. They start from master models (typically on paper) which are traced out onto kulit (skin or parchment), providing the figures with an outline and with indications of any holes that will need to be cut (such as for the mouth or eyes). The figures are then smoothed, usually with a glass bottle, and primed. The structure is inspected and eventually the details are worked through. A further smoothing follows before individual painting, which is undertaken by yet another craftsman. Finally, the movable parts (upper arms, lower arms with hands and the associated sticks for manipulation) mounted on the body, which has a central staff by which it is held. A crew makes up to ten figures at a time, typically completing that number over the course of a week.\n\nThe painting of less expensive puppets is handled expediently with a spray technique, using templates, and with a different person handling each color. After painting, the parts are put together to journey in a basket to the souvenir shops.
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Modernity, Islam and Tradition: \nThe Struggle for the Heart and Soul of Art and Culture in Malaysia\nBy Farish A. Noor\n\nSitting under the porch of the home of Nik Rashidi, a woodcarver in the small settlement of Pantai Cahaya Bulan, in the northern Malaysian state of Kelantan, I find myself discussing the future of traditional woodcarving and local arts. Nik Rashidi and his elder brother, Nik Rashiddin - now sadly departed - are woodcarvers of the old school. Their outstanding work stands today as the very best in traditional Malay woodcarving and some of their pieces have been given as gifts of state to foreign dignitaries ranging from the President of the United States to the Emperor of Japan. Yet here, in the small village where he lives, Nik Rashidi appears to the onlooker as a humble man, almost poor by the standards of the political and business elite who reside in Malaysia's capital Kuala Lumpur.\n\nBeneath Nik Rashidi's simple appearance, however, lies a sensitivity and depth of feeling and understanding that truly befits an artist. Like his late brother Nik Rashiddin, he is driven by an obsessive desire to preserve, promote and revitalise an art that is now almost extinct. Like his brother, he is also worried about the forces of rapid modernisation as well as the growing level of religious puritanism and conservatism that is destroying the fabric of the past and society all around. In his words: "The politicians and the religious leaders keep telling us that we must be modern, and be better Muslims as well. But so often all they want is to destroy everything that is old and traditional, and to erase the past. How can we progress to the future if we don't remember what we were before? And how can we be proper Muslims today if we don't even remember our ancestors of the pre-Islamic past?"\n\nNik Rashidi's concern is very real, for here in the state of Kelantan it is the Islamic opposition party PAS that is in power, and since the they came to power in 1990 there has been a sustained campaign to ban all forms of art, culture and entertainment deemed 'un-Islamic' and 'immoral'. This ban was imposed not only on modern forms of popular culture like Western pop music, but also on traditional arts that go back to the pre-Islamic era. As a result traditional cultural practices such as shadow-puppet theatre, the Mak Yong and Manora dances and traditional pastimes like kite-flying have been restricted, if not stopped altogether. Nik is concerned about how all this will affect his own woodcarving, which is based on traditional motifs and patterns that have strong Hindu and Buddhist influences. He is, in fact, struggling at the centre of an ideological battle for the future of Malaysian identity.\n\n\nA Nation in search of an Identity\n\nMalaysia, like many postcolonial societies of the late 20th century, is currently experiencing a collective identity crisis. The political entity that is known as the Federation of Malaysia today was born in stages: In 1957 independent Malaya was created and in 1963 the federation was expanded to include Singapore as well as the north Borneo states of Sabah and Sarawak. (Singapore later pulled out of the federation in 1965).\n\nIndependent Malaysia, as it came to be known, was searching for its own sense of identity from the very beginning. For centuries the territory had been home to a variety of different ethnic, cultural and religious communities. From the West came successive waves of Indian culture, that contributed to the Indianisation of the Malay archipelago, the emergence of a number of important Malay-Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms such as Majapahit, Mataram and Srivijaya. From the east came the influence of China, which brought with it distinctive Chinese styles and modes of living that were subsequently blended with local tastes and habits. Both Indian (Hindu, Buddhist) and Chinese (Buddhist, Taoist and Confusianist) cultural influences are
51245
all are from pathan-origin
232019
Where did u hear this from? (place, person)
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Marinduque, Philippines.\ni don't know the second part of the question sorry.
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MAHAL KITA\n-PHILIPPINES
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umm i am not sure....lol...i thin he was born in papa-lapa-KING-KONG its right outside of nver land i think lol
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cambodia\n\ntrust me on this one :P
676315
I'm Okiemute (from Nigeria), but i live in Turkey (Kibris) now. I'm still looking for a Turkish name though! lol!
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malaysia, vietnam, laos, thailand
488882
From what planet did you originate???
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Bonjour,\nLe pere de Woods, Earl Woods (5 mars 1932 – 3 mai 2006) etait un veteran de la guerre du Vietnam et lieutenant colonel a la retraite de l'armee americaine. Il a des ancetres noirs, chinois et indiens (d'Amerique).\nSa mere, Kultida Woods est ne en Thailande et a des origines thailandaises, chinoises et hollandaises.
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Bolivia\n\nCurrently residing in Anchorage, AK. 100% American
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check out www.kujiin.com
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Hai, Malaysian!\n\nKalau nak snang taip je BASKETBALL WIKIPEDIA THE FREE ENCYCLOPEDIA atau pun NETBALL WIKIPEDIA THE FREE ENCYCLOPEDIA dekat tempat kosong tu.Eja biar btul.\n\nKat situ macam-macam ada!! Pilih je mana-mana ko nak. Tapi semuanye dalam Bahasa Inggeris.\n\nMoga berjaya!!!
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Do you know why Malaysia got RUKUN NEGARA?\nIf you know the reason, you will get the reason.
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I think it was from Greek mythology.  Asia was one of the Oceanids.  There was also an Anatolian (Turkish) king of that name.