Lombok – A fragment in the tale of menak fiber in the famous Sasak Puppet full of mystique. The fragment called Lampan Lahat, not just any puppeteer can play it.
It is said that, if puppeteer makes a mistake in playing the Lampan Lahat fragment, the stakes are the lives of himself and even his descendants. Truly a complete mastermind is able to perform Lampan Lahat.
A Puppeteer from Rumbuk Village, East Lombok, Ki Dalang Wildan said many special rituals were used by puppeteer to play Lampan Lahat. First, before the performance, in front of the stage, a smooth scapegoat must be slaughtered.
In addition, the puppeteer and all those involved in wayang performances must not break up in ablution. So that special water is prepared behind the stage for ablution.
“The puppeteer and the puppeteer’s assistant will wear ihram clothes. The assistant puppeteer on the left and right must be Tuan Guru (kiyai) during the performance,” he said when met at his residence in Rumbuk, Thursday (21/7/2022).
Another condition is that during the Lampan Lahat performance, you cannot pause or take a break. staging must continue until the segment ends. Even visitors or spectators are not allowed to leave before the performance ends.
Lampan Lahat fragment was full of mystical aura. It is said that during the performance, the atmosphere will change. The stage is filled with leaks or tuselak, which are spirits who will fight with each other.
“The Lampan Lahat story must be perfect, it can’t be added or subtracted, truly holy person could play it. If you still think worldly, you will not be able to do,” he said.
If an error occurs in the performance of Lampan Lahat, it is believed that there will be an unexpected event that results in casualties, either the puppeteer or the person who invited the puppeteer to play it.
“There will come out a leak in the name of sasak is tuselak. the one who invites or we play it will be the victim. It’s as if we’re inviting all the genies above,” he said
Then, why is Lampan Lahat so full of mystical aura? A puppeteer Wildan said in the story of Serat Menak, he told the journey of the Prophet’s uncle, Amir Hamzah or in the Puppet known as Jayeng Rane. The story tells of Jayeng Rane spreading Islam and crushing the enemies of Islam.
Lampan means title or story, while Lahat means trap or grave. The story or fragment of Lampan Lahat contains the end of Jayeng Rane’s life who died on the battlefield against the enemies of Islam. In Islam, Amir Hamzah died in the battle of Uhud.
“In the grave or in the pit, it can also be interpreted as a grave. That’s where Jayeng Rane’s history ends with his war horse,” he said.
Puppeteer Wildan even said firmly that he would not dare to play Lampan Lahat even though he was paid any amount of money.
“If someone gives me Rp. 100 million to play (Lampan Lahat), I will not dare. I’m sorry, any mistake can run to descendants (become victims),” he said
Puppeteer Wildan explained that Jayeng Rane in the Sasak puppet is described with simple characteristics. Unlike the Javanese puppet, Jayeng Rane is depicted as Arjuna by wearing crowns and bracelets.
“Jayeng Rane in Javanese puppet is Arjuna, many bracelets, crowns, but in Sasak Puppet they are plain as a symbol of simplicity,” he said.
He explained that the characters in the puppet are divided into two, namely the left and right puppets, and the other is the puppet mountain. The left puppet depicts an arrogant antagonist, and the right puppet depicts the main character or hero and a good character.
In the Sasak Puppet, the Kawi language is used. The language is to make it easier for the audience, because it combines three languages, such as Sasak, Javanese and Balinese.
“Why do Sasak puppets use the kawi language, the middle line is that Sasak language enters, Javanese language enters and Balinese language enters. It is quickly understood by the public,” he said.
Wildan has been a puppeteer since 1973. Even when he was still in school, he always learned to make and play puppets. That’s why he is now often called for wayang shows.
He told it, the Sasak Puppet performances were filled with symbols that contained Islamic values. such as the nine pillars which mean nine guardians who spread Islam, the rectangular stage building which has four philosophical schools of thought in Islam, the musical accompaniment or the five drums which means the pillars of Islam.
“Actually, there are six drums, but Lanang and Wadon are husband and wife, so they are counted as one,” he said.
As well as the Puppeteer and all those involved in the performance, there are 13 people, who have a philosophical philosophy of the number of pillars of prayer. In fact, the ritual of releasing wayang is not random, there is a special prayer that is said
Meanwhile, the Mystical Expeditionary Team of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, commonly abbreviated as PDIP West Nusa Tenggara and one organization abbreviated as Mi6, are trying to promote the Sasak wayang as part of the Lombok community tradition. not only that, the Chairman of the Regional Representative Council (DPD PDIP) of West Nusa Tenggara, H. Rachmat Hidayat through the Chair and Vice Chair II of the PDIP East Lombok Branch Representative Council, Ahmad Sukro and Ahmad Amrullah, distributed Rp 50 million in aid to Puppeteer Wildan to develop the Sasak Shadow Puppet.
Ahmad Amrullah said the assistance was an effort of the PDIP West Nusa Tenggara to keep the Sasak puppets alive, because they were part of the Sasak ancestral culture.
“Because this Sasak puppet is part of the Sasak ancestral culture that must be maintained so that it continues to grow,” said Amrullah who is also the Secretary of the Mystical Expedition Team.
The director of M16, Bambang Mei Finarwanto, emphasized that the Sasak puppets are not only limited to performing arts, but also have Islamic philosophical values.
“The public must understand that the Sasak puppets are filled with various stories and have philosophical meanings such as the values contained in the fiber menak story as well as Islamic symbols as a requirement in puppet performances,” he said. (s)
