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PUPPET Personalities
like in java,Balinese puppet shows traditionally functioned as a mass moral education tool for the masses where few people had access to a formal education.

This is why the shows characters reflect human traits seen as both desirable and undesirable in the context of Balinese Hindu-ism.Reflecting the Balinese cöncept of Rwa Bhineda, opposing traits-good and bad,refined and coarse,astute and stupid-are a necessary part of the social make up of the harmony of their society.

The good character such as Arjuna,Khrisna,Rama,Sita etc are refined and slight in appearance-they are lighter colored reflecting Aryan or God-like origins and speak in higher,softer voices than their opponents.A woman's ideal of balinese man is fairer skined with slight features and polite manner, yet like Arjuna it is comonly accepted for him to be a playboy type.Females are Sita-like-fair,pretty,diminutive,good at dancing and faithful to her husband or lover at all costs.Displays of emotion as seen in the giants,Who are angry, aggressive creatures that may even cry on occasion as flowned upon in Balinese society- a person who reveals such emotions in public is seen as'out control'.

Some of the characters develop into labels in real life.One of the evil clowns, sangut, likes to such up to his masters and anyone advantageous.People like this in real life. Who are two-faced and like to grease up to people when it suits them are also referred to us'Sangut' and has even developed in to a verb,'nyangut'.A gluttonous fellow called cupak who is a one of two brothers in the cupak tales, is also a common put-down for those who like the stuff their faces.

While Balinese pupet shows and their stories are not as popular as they önce were, many local people, particular those from the villages, still like to make references to the characters and their story based in the mahabharata and the Ramayana epics. In fact some of these references can be so enshrouded in allegory that many modern Balinese may not even understand what they are on about!

"BY VAUGHAN HATCH"