As a distinctive part of Malang culture, topeng Malangan is composed of mask dancing and mask craftsmanship. This art is synonymous with the classical East Java story of Prince Panji Asmoro Bangun. The wooden masks have different colors and shapes to depict the various characters of relevant episodes.

One of Mbah Karimun’s non-family students delving into topeng Malangan is Mahfud, 22.

“I’ve been learning here for 15 years, practicing the mask dance and then carving wooden masks,” said Mahfud, who lives just 100 meters from his late mentor’s house.

The masks, primarily meant for stage performances, are made from certain species of wood such as sengon (Albizia chinensis), mahogany, jackfruit and waru (Hibiscus tiliaceus.)

“I don’t observe any ritual for mask crafting, unless this is requested, usually by mask dance artists,” Mahfud said.

It takes five days to finish one mask. The craftsmen use wood that has already been stored or dried for at least six months rather than that of newly felled trees. This material is then cut into pieces measuring 21 centimeters long and 16 cm wide. They are later shaped into faces according to the features of the characters to be represented.

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The expression and adornments of each character are first drawn with a pencil by following a relevant pattern.

Topeng Malangan have 76 characters. The mask surface gets four treatments. It is smoothed out, painted over to cover the pores, smoothed out again and then the final painting of the face.

Oil paint colors for mask faces and embellishments are applied according to the characters. Red is used for giants, evil entities and avarice; white for nobility, honesty, holiness and sublimity; yellow for female glory, green for chivalry; and golden yellow for knights in the royal family. It is important for the craftsmen to do the painting on a sunny day to ensure that the paint dries well.

The final phase of mask making is the coloring of facial details such as carving the forehead and brow, eyes, and lip motifs as well as putting on the mask-fastening strings.

Today, very few young people in the village have the per- severance to keep working as a professional topeng Malangan dancer and craftsman to support their families. Widhi, one of the young craftsmen in his early 20s, only produces five to 10 masks monthly, which he sells for between Rp 80,000 (US$6) and Rp 350,000 per piece.

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Orders for masks usually come from dance artists and people who use them for home decorations. The difficulty in marketing these handicraft products is a major constraint on the continuity of their business. So far they have relied on orders and on purchases by people who are informed of the creations by word of mouth.

Unfortunately, the local administration has not yet developed topeng Malangan as a cultural asset and regional icon for economic and tourism promotion. They may need to learn about capitalizing on the potential from traditional culture from neighboring areas like Bali and Banyuwangi.

Consequently, the mask artists and craftspeople in Kedungmonggo struggle on their own to preserve the identity of their birthplace.

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