Malaysia · Leather Craft / Sculpture
Wayang Kulit Kelantan
Kelantan Wayang Kulit is the shadow puppet tradition of the Malaysian East Coast — distinct from Javanese Wayang Kulit (CRAFT-0136) in both puppet form and performance tradition. Malaysian Wayang Kulit Siam (the Kelantan tradition) depicts scenes from the Ramayana and local Malay legends using leather puppets pierced with intricate patterns and moved by bamboo rods. The puppet-making tradition requires the entire process from hide preparation to pattern piercing to final painting and rod attachment — the same material sequence as Javanese wayang but with a distinct Kelantan aesthetic vocabulary: flatter silhouettes, bolder outlines, more direct figurative language reflecting Kelantan's folk rather than court origin. The puppet maker (tukang wayang) is often also the dalang (puppeteer), combining making and performance knowledge.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Not inscribed internationally; Malaysian national heritage recognition
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