Task

A wealthy philanthropist has hired you to research and investigate whether she should sponsor the protection of the Wayang Kulit.

The philanthropist would like to know if the Wayang Kulit is culturally and artistically worth protecting.

SFU Wayang Kulit Shadow Puppet Collection

In the past, Wayang Kulit puppeteers were regarded as cultivated literary experts who transmitted moral and aesthetic values through their art. The words and actions of the puppet characters represented the “ordinary person” and provided a vehicle for criticizing sensitive social and political issues. It is believed that this special role may have contributed to Wayang’s survival over the centuries. Wayang stories borrow characters from indigenous myths, Indian epics and heroes from Persian tales. The theatrical and performance techniques were transmitted orally within the families of puppeteers, musicians and puppet-makers. Master puppeteers were expected to memorize a vast number of stories and to recite ancient narrative passages and poetic songs in a witty and creative manner. (http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/RL/00063 [1])

To demonstrate the cultural and artistic value of the Wayang Kulit, the philanthropist would like you to create a modern day puppet show using the Wayang Kulit form.

You will choose ten or more puppets and create a digital puppet show using a photo story software. Integrate the visual puppet images with text and audio to tell the story of the Wayang Kulit's importance.

Process

1. Visit the following sites to learn more about the history of the Wayang Kulit Shadow Puppets.

Gamelan Tunas Mekar [2]
Discover Indonesia: Wayang Kulit [3]
Art-Pacific: Guide to Artifacts Wayang Kulit [4]
Semar: Wayang Kulit [5]
Bali & Beyond: Wayang Kulit [6]
 
The Wayang Puppet Theatre (Video) [7]
Bali & Beyond: Wayang Kulit (Video) [8]
Wayang Kulit Puppet Theatre (Video) [9]

 

2. Download and view the Wayang Kulit Shadow Puppet videos from the Multicultural Canada Collection.

Drama of the Shadow World [10]
Oral Tradition into Written Tradition [11]
Ramayana – The Kidnapping of Sita [12]
Ravana [13]
The Journey of the Wayang [14]
Wayang Kulit – Respect for the Puppets [15]

 

3. Consider the following questions as you research:

Where did the Wayang Kulit originate?
What does Wayang Kulit mean?
What did the Wayang Kulit present?
Why was the Wayang Kulit a popular form of entertainment?
How did the Wayang Kulit impact culture?
Why is it important to protect the Wayang Kulit?
What is the social importance of the Wayang Kulit?
How is culture portrayed through the puppets?

You may wish to use a mind mapping program to help organize your thoughts and record your information. Remember to keep a record of reference information.
 
4. Explore the collection of Wayang Kulit Shadow Puppets from the Multicultural Canada Collection. Choose the puppets you want to use in your puppet show. To search for particular puppets use the search menu.

SFU Wayang Kulit Shadow Puppet Collection

5. Create a script for your puppet show. The script should tell the story of the Wayang Kulit, including the historical significance and the present importance of protecting it.
 
6. Using a photo story software create a digital puppet show using your selected photos and script by adding text and spoken audio, along with background music to tell the story of the Wayang Kulit
 

 

Evaluation

Conclusion

SFU Wayang Kulit Shadow Puppet Collection       
             
     
The Wayang Kulit is an important oral, visual and artistic theatre worth protecting. This art form that has continued for hundreds of years is worth protecting for the enjoyment of future generations. Your digital puppet show will hopefully convince the philanthropist to invest and help to ensure the protection of the Wayang Kulit.
    

Teacher

Multicultural Canada Collection

This webquest was created to encourage the use of the Multicultural Canada digital archives.

The vision of Multicultural Canada is to promote greater learning, understanding and communication amongst and within the cultural groups that have built and continue to build a vibrant Canada.

Working collaboratively, the goal of Multicultural Canada is to contribute to the appreciation of Canada’s diverse heritage by using the internet to provide increased access to shared histories and experiences.

This includes:

Capturing and preserving first-hand accounts of first generation immigrants who share their early Canadian experience, along with digitizing and providing enhanced access to culturally significant materials in all mediums.

Webquests

The webquest can be completed individually or in small groups. It is designed to be self-directed and encourage student inquiry. The assignments are all designed to be completed electronically and saved on a computer with all research, tasks and final projects completed digitally. Assignments can be assessed using the rubric on the Evaluation page by the student, the teacher or collaboratively. The teacher may wish to adapt the rubric to fit particular learning outcomes.

When completing the webquest task it would be helpful for the students to keep a record of all the sites they visit for referring back to and for correctly referencing any material used. An easy way for students to keep such a record is by bookmarking the sites using delicious.

Webquests require the use of a variety of computer applications. All of the applications needed for this webquest are either a free download or one that is commonly purchased and available on educational computers. Additionally, there are many substitute applications that can used to complete the webquest should the recommended one not be available. A list of suitable applications is found below.

Application Downloads

• Mind42 [16]
• Mindmeister [17]
• Inspiration [18]
• delicious [19]
• iMovie [20]
• PhotoStory 3 [21]

Sample Project

Learning Outcomes

Gather a body of information from a variety of primary and secondary sources

• Retell a story from an interview
• Apply established criteria to compare information sources
• Apply a variety of strategies to record information gathered from sources
• Create a bibliography of all sources used

Apply critical thinking skills - including comparing, imagining, inferring, identifying patterns, and summarizing - to selected problems and issues

• Compare information and viewpoints about a selected problem or issue
• Identify patterns in information, and use those patterns to draw inferences
• Demonstrate an ability to imagine situations and results in relation to a selected problem or issue
• Summarize information and opinions about a selected problem or issue

Assess why immigrants came to Canada, the individual challenges they faced, and their contributions to Canada

• Through role play, simulations, or letters, present personal perspectives of the challenges faced by immigrants
• Give historical reasons for the immigration of specific cultural groups to Canada
• Create a representation of how immigration has led to the development of Canada as a cultural mosaic

View to comprehend a variety of visual texts such as

• web sites
• video
• photographs
• art
• visual components of print media

Create thoughtful representations that communicate ideas and information to

• explore and respond
• record and describe
• explain and persuade
• engage

Create a presentation on a selected historical event or topic

• Organize information to plan their presentation
• Use an outline organize information in a coherent format
• Prepare a presentation using selected communication forms to support the purpose of the presentation
• Apply established criteria for their presentation

Create images

• That support or challenge personal and societal beliefs, values, traditions or practices
• Based on an understanding of historical images and issues
• (Or a series of images) that represent a subject or theme
• That engage more than one of the senses

Create a work of art

• That reflects an understanding of the impact of social/cultural/historical contexts
• That communicates specific beliefs/traditions in response to historical/contemporary issues

Culture and the Arts

• Analyze how the arts express civilizations’ cultural elements

Culture and Values

• Evaluate the components of value systems within and among cultures, including; religion and mythology, morals and ethics, heroes and role models
• Analyze the diverse values and beliefs of civilizations