Keywords
Lion Dance
Pencak Silat
Wali Songo
Wayang Golek
How to Cite
Abstract
Chinese and Persian Muslim influences emerge vividly in the performance traditions of West Java’s coastal and highland regions. Narratives surrounding the Wali Songo, the formation of wayang golek, the appearance of a Chinese woman in Javanese Islamic royal lore, and leonine figures in martial and ceremonial contexts reveal deep layers of cultural hybridity. Interactions among Sufi, Shi’a, Chinese, and Persian diasporic communities shaped the aesthetic and religious life of fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Java, leaving traces that remain embedded in contemporary arts. Despite periodic fundamentalist pressures that seek to narrow Southeast Asian Islamic expression, performance traditions continue to act as repositories of plural histories and intercultural encounters. Analysis of textual sources, oral narratives, and performative forms demonstrates how artistic practices embody long-term exchanges across trade, religion, and community life. The argument situates West Javanese performance as a living archive that preserves and re-enacts complex histories of contact, mobility, and Islamic diversity in the archipelago.
Abstrak
Pengaruh Islam Tionghoa dan Persia tampak kuat dalam tradisi pertunjukan di wilayah pesisir dan pegunungan Jawa Barat. Narasi Wali Songo, pembentukan wayang golek, kisah perempuan Tionghoa dalam sejarah istana Islam Jawa, serta figur singa dalam konteks bela diri dan upacara mengungkap lapisan hibriditas budaya yang panjang. Interaksi komunitas Sufi, Syiah, Tionghoa, dan Persia membentuk kehidupan estetik dan religius Jawa abad ke-15–16, meninggalkan jejak yang bertahan dalam kesenian kini. Meskipun ada tekanan fundamentalis yang berupaya mempersempit ekspresi Islam Asia Tenggara, tradisi pertunjukan tetap menjadi penyangga sejarah plural yang memperlihatkan perjumpaan antarbudaya. Kajian terhadap sumber tekstual, narasi lisan, dan bentuk pertunjukan menunjukkan bagaimana praktik seni menghidupkan kembali sejarah kontak dan keberagaman Islam di Nusantara.
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