Puppet museum struggles for survival

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Wed, 02/07/2007 4:52 PM

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

People wanting to know about the history and origins of traditional puppets need only visit the Kekayon Puppet Museum in Yogyakarta.

The museum, which was first set up in 1991, lets people get up close and personal with 25 kinds of puppets.

The museum, which is owned by the family foundation of the late Sudjono Prawiro Hadikusuma, has over 3,000 puppets, one of the most celebrated of them being a 250-year-old Thenggul wooden puppet from the Central Javanese town of Jepara.

Puppets of unique historical value are also part of the museum's diverse collection. Unlike regular puppets, these puppets -- depicting freedom fighters, Japanese soldiers, and independence leaders Sukarno and Hatta -- emerged during Japanese occupation as instruments to raise popular support for the independence movement.

The influence of puppets on the community, as well as puppet-making processes are also part of the museum's attractions.

The museum's first display room is turned over to exploring the strong influence of traditional puppets on people's daily lives. The display shows how the names of puppet characters have been turned into brands of cigarettes, beverages, buildings and other products.

""Characters like Arjuna have become the name of many products. This shows that in the past, puppets had a strong influence on people's lives, since they served the role of demonstrating proper values,"" the museum's executive head, Mulyono, said.

The 65-year-old said the museum also showcased the process of making a leather puppet from buffalo skin.

The display shows the production process, from the drying of the leather, to the making of an initial sketch, and finally painting.

Visiting American tourists Lisa Morse and Stephen Wilson were fascinated by the museum's collection. ""It's amazing, the collections were so complete,"" Morse said.

She also praised the museum for not confusing visitors who do not use a guide, since every puppet was displayed with short but clear information both in Indonesian and English.

However, she said the museum's lighting was not bright enough, and there was a need to repair several museum facilities damaged during the May 27 earthquake last year.

""The government and culture lovers should lend a helping hand in the preservation,"" Morse said.

A good collection, however, has not been enough to lure in more visitors to the museum. The money raised from selling tickets -- Rp 5,000 for foreigners and Rp 2,000 for locals -- has not been enough to finance the museum's operations and to maintain the puppets.

The museum's director, Donny Surya Megananda, said museum management spends around Rp 4 million per month on operational costs, including taking care of the puppets and paying its seven workers.

""Income generated from visitors is only enough to cover 40 percent of the overall operational costs,"" said Donny, who also raises money for the museum by renting out the museum's joglo hall for receptions.

However, he said the museum would work hard to survive, and even add to its collection, as it was first set up with the mission of preserving the country's culture.

The founder Sujono started the museum in 1975. Using family money, the Kekayon Foundation started construction on the current site of the museum in 1987 before it was officially opened for the public in 1991.

""This museum is the family's obsession to help preserve our culture,"" Donny said.

He said management was working in stages to repair parts of the museum that were damaged in the quake, since it had too little money to do it in one go.

""We've spent millions of rupiah (on repairs) but due to limited funds we're still unable to replace the broken protective casing,"" said Donny, adding that the museum has received no assistance from the government for the repairs.

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