Mairead Kennedy
Before Islam was a ubiquitous religion in Indonesia, the culture of the communities within the country was much different. It was not until Arab muslim traders came for trading purposes that this religion was introduced to the people living on the islands. Prior to this exposure, Buddhism and Hinduism were the more prominent religions among Indonesian people, and these religions differed from Islam in various ways. Islam is a monotheistic religion that follows one particular God, while Bhuddism rejects the idea of any omniscient creator. It is also observed that, in some ways, Islam is a more strict religion. Those that practice Islam are expected to follow set guidelines on when to pray, who to marry, and generally how to act in everyday life. Due to the influence of Islam on Indonesian culture, the country’s performing arts have been altered in both positive and negative ways. The Islamization of the country led to an increase in the development of art, as many Islamic influences used music and dance to spread their culture throughout. However, restrictions set by the religion itself also led to restrictions in both music and dance.
Islam specifcally had an influence on both the gamelan and the shadow puppet play, which is called wayang kulit. The gamelan sekaten was an early ensemble that was introduced during the period of time when Islam was becoming more popular. “It is said that a wali (Javanese Islamic saint)2 was responsible for the creation of this ensemble. Performing this gamelan to attract people to convert to Islam is a common explanation for its use and development”( Harnish 49). It is clear that Muslims in the country wanted their religion to be shared amongst all people. In order to expose people to the religion, with hopes of them converting, they used music. Music was an aspect of life in the area that was accessible to all people, despite social status, gender, or gender. It was a useful tactic to gain interest from outsiders, because most people find relation to music in one way or another. Also, this gamelan sekaten ensemble came from a Javanese Islamic saint, which makes it much more likely for one to think highly of the religion. This depicts the influence of Islam on the gamelan specifically, however it in influential in many more areas of Indonesian performing arts.
When it comes to the shadow puppet play, wayang kulit, a correlation can be found between the shape of the puppets and the dominance of Islam. Long before there was any Islamic influence, the puppets resembled art that had been drawn on the walls of temples in East Java. The puppets had a way of representing the people during the time that they were likely drawn. When observing these specific drawings, it is noted that “these figures closely represent human anatomy” (Harnish 52). The human figures that were drawn are wearing clothing that was worn during this time as well. However, as time went on, the puppets were altered completely. This was due to the fact that this style of human depiction and music was seen as something that went against the Qur’an. Therefore, this became an instance where the restrictions of the religion set restrictions on the performing arts, eventually changing a very important aspect. This complete alteration can be viewed in the photo of one of the figurines taken by the author of “Divine Inspirations: Music and Islam in Indonesia”. It depicts a figure that has been developed into art rather than a representation of a human. It resembles an animal more than a human, which falls in line with one of the few unspoken rules of Islam. For this reason, it can be understood that the growth of this religion in the area impacted the performing arts in a restricting way.
It is also important to note that dance in the performing arts of Indonesia were greatly influenced by Islam as well. Specifically, some of the costumes worn and restricted during performance greatly reflect aspects of Islam. In certain cases, dancers wear masks as a large part of their performance. However, the masks worn during topeng were said to contradict the values of Islam. This led to the martial law, under Suharto, to prohibit the masked topeng dances completely. It is mentioned that “this might have been a permanent state of affairs for topeng practitioners were it not for Suharto’s wife, Ibu Tien” (Ross 15). She went out of her way to ensure that there was a space for all cultural performing arts to be expressed and viewed. This became a conflict because some people appreciated this, but others thought that the masking used in the dance was very wrong. The fact that a specific dance was stopped altogether due to an issue with the costume being out of line with Islamic values proves that this religion was extremely impactful on the performing arts.
It was not just early on that Indonesian culture was changed to conform with the new religion. The impact was everlasting, and it can be viewed in their performing arts to this day. Both music and dance have gone through drastic changes with the introduction of Islam. The performing arts, along with other aspects, in Indonesia have consistently been impacted and inspired by the prevalence of Islam in the area. This is seen through the gamelan, the puppet play, and the masked dancing of topeng.
Footnote (Audience Explanation):
I decided to write this essay with the audience being my brother. He is currently 21 years old and he is a senior at Providence College in Rhode Island. I thought that it would be interesting to explain this topic to someone who is very well educated, but also has never learned anything about the performing arts in Indonesia. I wrote in a style that would be understood to college students, but also made sure to go into detail about explaining some aspects that my brother would definitely not understand.
