Puppet Suket (Wayang Suket)

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Suket (language Javanese) is equal to the grass. But the grass is usually assembled and used as a puppet is a puzzle grass, elephant grass, or mendong, reed a usually woven into mats. Of all materials, texture puppet created will be strong  and have form a long.

Puppet Suket not have a standard form, like the characters in shadow puppet or of puppet show. Overview of the grass is indeed shaped like puppet, which can be played by hand. However, to distinguish one character with another very difficult. Because its shape is almost similar. Suket puppet performances are different from other puppet show.

Puppet Suket were actually children's toys are in the village. When the shepherd buffalo, cow or goat that is busy eating grass, shepherd boy tries to imitate the puppet masters who played a puppets. Then of the grass around used to be puppets model, and played like a puppeteer who is playing puppet. This is an chance or inadvertence someone make puppets Suket. The definite, this is because his parents are a farmer, who each day to the rice field.

Puppet Suket also inadvertently often played by farmers, at the time  farmers are relaxed, usually Suket (grass) formed into a puppets and then played like a puppeteer. Afterwards Suket thrown away , and not show in the stage.

And Slamet Gundono is the originator of staging puppet Suket and famous enough not only in the archipelago but have been to Japan and America, even to Europe. These performances began pioneered by puppeteer Slamet Gundono 1999.

But behind the success Gundono, apparently there is a "Maestro" who was not known who actually has pioneered the manufacture of puppets Suket. Unfortunately, puppet Suket his work was never performed and only exhibited. Who is he? Mr Gepuk name.

Name Mr. Gepuk started sticking when their result exhibited at Bentara Budaya Yogyakarta Building 1 to 8 September 1995, which was organized by the Netherlands Institute of Indonesian Culture and Bentara Culture Karta Pustaka, Yogyakarta. From there popular of Suket  puppet  began to be taken into account in of puppet world Indonesia.

After Mr Gepuk  disappear from circulation puppet world until the end of his life, suddenly re-emerged in 2007 when many artists Yogya ask Mr  Gepuk existence. This was revealed when the Museum Prof.Dr. Soegarda Purbalingga Beteng Vredenberg held an exhibition in Yogyakarta. and display the works Suket puppets  Mr Gepuk . Lots of questions, the impression and the response was so sympathetic, addressed to Mr. Gepuk "the Maestro is not famous."

Thus the nickname of one of the senior artists in Yogyakarta and they do not thought that Mr. Gepuk was dead. In connection with that, author was intrigued to searching information about whom Mr. Gepuk this?.  Why outside Purbalingga especially in the centers of art his name so famous, but in his own Purbalingga many do not know, including the author. And finally the author found the article about Mr. Gepuk in an article published in a book Cikar Sindhunata ramshackle masterpiece and has been published by a newspaper national. This is her story:

The rice field was named rice field Mountain, located five kilometers  less more from  Hamlet Bantarbarang Rembang District, Purbalingga.  There, The atmosphere is very quiet. In rice fields Mr Gepuk spent his days. Afternoon he hoe and cultivate his. In rickety hut there was no couch, let alone a mattress. There was only dried banana leaves (klaras). Klaras be mattress for Mr Gepuk. Now Mr Gepuk already 87 years old (now 97 years). Her body already looks old, but still strong and vigorous hoe his rice field. During the day he got a shipment of food from his daughter in like  cooked rice, a packet of vegetable, tempe and tahu.

Mr Gepuk like to spend the night in his hut and rarely return to homes. At most once a week. Mr Gepuk reluctant to go home, not only because of has begun difficult to walk. But he also likes to be alone  in silence since his youth. Once he lived in his hut 40 days and 40 nights without a home though.

The silence that surrounds living color of Mr Gepuk. The silence gave him strength for his steadfast cultivate his land. The silence gave him the knowledge that the style of the mini was a teacher for life. The silence was taught that beauty is everywhere, even in the grass. Therefore, in the hands of Mr Gepuk grass was can be woven into works of art  puppets.

Mr Gepuk the farmers as well as artists. In his life farming and live art that is inseparable. Land, where he was hoeing and dripping with sweat, is the ground where he gained a sense of art and beauty of the material. The land that gave him corn and cassava for food and subsistence. Land was also given grass for art and reveal the beauty.

No one taught him how he was farming. As the son of farmers, the ability to farm it came by itself. Similarly circumstances "art". At that time Mr Gepuk still fifteen years old. Everyday he became a shepherd boy. grasslands is the world's Mr Gepuk. With the grass, give fed his goats. And not just a goat, human life depends on the grass. How he can live as a shepherd if in the absence of grass.

Suddenly, he felt, in the grass, natural plant that is simple, it contained life. Grass, who used only for food animals and beings trampled by human,  turned out to contain deep meaning.


Besides Mr Gepuk as puppet maestro Suket, there are also figure M. Talib Prasojo known to the public, especially in East Java as one of the artists who introduced Puppet Suket. His works often coloring the world of art in various art performances opportunities. From there he, familiarly known as "The Maestro Puppet Suket East Java".

Unfortunately, Man Talib since August 4 in the morning The night is no longer accompany the Java community with his work. Bojonegoro-born artist, June 17, 1931 This should be facing the Great Creator.