Balinese Calonarang in Performance

Pangléyakan is the term for Balinese sorcery/witchcraft, which can be for either good (tĕgĕ, right-handed magic) or for ill (kiwa, left-handed magic, resulting in disease, bad fortune, and death).1 Negative sorcery is suspected when conflicts arise, insofar as disease and discord are interlinked. Calonarang2 performance is seen as a way to alleviate sorcery’s negativity and tap its positivity for material and spiritual ends.3The performance is presented outside, at night, at the pura dalem, the temple found by the cemetery in each village, the temple that is associated with chthonic spirits, and which is presided over by the god Siwa (correlating with Shiva in Indian Hinduism) and his spouse Durga in her terrifying form. Spiritually strong performers play the primary roles. The witch (usually named Calonarang) will morph into the mask of Rangda, representing Durga in her demonic form. The male hero of the play, who opposes her, transforms into Barong Ket, a leonine body puppet/mask, representing Siwa in his chthonic manifestation. Barong Ket protects a group of kris (dagger) dancers, usually young males, who along with some members of the audience go into trances and engage in self-stabbing (but customarily without any blood or harm) or try to attack Rangda. Layers of protection are provided by the village pemangku (priest), who dispenses holy water, and the tukang undang (inviter), who dares any actual sorcerers/witches in the village to contend with him during this magico-religious performance. Historically, the form may be linked to curing cholera, but is likewise used for venting societal discord and returning calm. While the narrative frame may have originally been created to represent the léyak (witch/sorcerer) as the source of disease, Calonarang, the queen of all sorcery, is at the same time a Goddess savior.4 Ambiguity prevails.Balinese spiritual practice and calonarang performance intersect. Presenting calonarang is more than savoring a fictive story: the performance is felt to be “actual”—a practice of self-empowerment for those who perform. Discord is healed in a ritual that invites the viewers to experience the supernatural.5Today, calonarang has two modes. One is routinely offered for tourists, with a simple explanation of good defeating evil—the male hero transforms into a lion, Barong Ket, who subdues a plague-bringing widow-witch Calonarang/Rangda (Figure 1). This version was shared with colonial outsiders in the early twentieth century and was popularized internationally at the 1931 Paris Colonial Exposition, where a group, shepherded by Walter Spies, wowed Antonin Artaud and the European public. By the 1960s, calonarang emerged as a regular tourist offering at the village of Batubulan, north of the capital city of Denpasar in Gianyar District, under I Made Kredek (1906–1979), a major choreographer and troupe director from Singapadu village, who selected a Mahabharata story, Kunti Sraya/Sudamala (Kunti Rescues/Absolved from Evil), for the conflict/balancing between witch and lion.6By early 2020, pre-COVID-19, at least five different villages advertised calonarang tourist shows, bringing revenue to cash-strapped villagers via morning showings. The presentations entice the tourist gaze with spectacular masks and the spectacle of self-stabbing (ngurek) by bare-chested young men who emerge without loss of blood. Rangda and Barong provide a colorful introduction to rwu bhineda (literally “two in opposition”), a basic premise of Balinese spiritual thought that preaches duality of/in material existence. Life is balanced by death, day by night, male by female, sea by land, positive by negative, Rangda by Barong Ket, et cetera.Yet this photogenic, daily spectacle with paid actors is comparatively secular and its place in the cultural tourism scene has been detailed.7 This essay does not deal with these tourist shows, but rather considers the late-night performances that take place during temple celebrations for dewa yadhya (gods’ ceremonies). For these shows, the audience is the Balinese community. The ritual performances primarily seek religious, not financial, reward, and families will often provide one young male family member to the village performing group. Events are outdoors in front of the pura dalem, chthonic temple.This essay provides a sample narrative, notes selected performance resources, especially books of magical empowerment, and briefly introduces Balinese tools of tantrism used before and during performances to promote self and community purification. Tantra here is a religious philosophy that uses popular and sometime esoteric ritual techniques to achieve religious empowerment. This essay shows that participation in this drama is felt by participants to have the personal benefit of spiritual strengthening, while also balancing negative forces that are active in community life, via the spiritual power of the local priest and tukang undang (inviter). The performance effort is also believed to have cosmic efficacy: the malevolent is “turned back” from its destructive potential into its beatific opposite.This descriptive essay discusses current Balinese practices rather than calonarang’s historically cross-cultural links to Indian Hinduism.8 Tantrism in Balinese esoteric religion correlates the human body as a microcosm to the macrocosm, often situating the self as the center of the universe and co-identifing the individual with the ultimate deity’s cosmic power: major gods are envisioned at nawasanga (nine points), consisting of eight compass points and the center around/in the practitioner’s body. Sounds, words, images, and special configurations form imaginative tools for experiencing empowerment/enlightenment in performance. Tantric religion in Bali relies here on sometimes frightening deities: Rangda, who correlates with the Hindu Goddess Durga, as noted above, and Barong Ket, who is Lord Siwa. While addressing “secret” understandings, this essay follows current thinking in Bali that encourages more open sharing of sacred cultural knowledge in order to ensure preservation. Information presented here reflects the experience of I Nyoman Cerita, who has danced Rangda and other roles in calonarang.The narrative that appears in calonarang varies—involving Calonarang,as the mother of a beautiful unmarried girl, the male sorcerer Basur, and the queen Tanting Mas, as just a few possible main figures. Any of these characters can become the Calonarang/Rangda. We see them in their first human manifestation as an unmasked actor in that figure’s costume. Then she or he exits and reenters as the masked Rangda (played by a second actor). Time, place, and context—determined by the local temple festival committee in collaboration with the performing troupe—determines which narrative will start the evening.9 However, once the tale’s character for the witch (Calonarang, Basur, Tanting Mas, etc.) is replaced by the mask figure Rangda, the plot is moot, since the energy of Durga (Rangda) and the counterforce of Siwa (Barong Ket)—not any particular character(s)/narrative—guides the outcome. Barong Ket may fall into trance, the Rangda may seem to triumph, and sometimes mask characters may leave the performance site to dance through the village. The resolution of the show is a spectacle of mass karahuan (trance), which overtakes performers and even some viewers. John Emigh describes a performance about Cupak, a greedy man who steals his younger brother’s bride. Cupak suddenly becomes the mask Rangda as the brother becomes Barong Ket, who, though the latter is supposed to “win,” collapses in trance: [An] orgy of self-destructive energy, [with dancers] throwing themselves down on the blades and pushing these blades with all their might against the resistant flesh. Priests circulated in the scene, disarming men, carrying the now still and prone Barong dancer into the adjacent temple. . . . The performance was over. Yet the climax of the tale had not been reached. Worse, the “wrong side” [Cupak/Rangda] seemed to have won. . . . Still, no one but me seemed bothered. Clearly, something of great theatrical and human interest had taken place; but what it all signified I couldn’t fathom.10 The story dissolves as the performance continues. Priests and performers attempt to prevent injuries by using holy water and incense to facilitate the cool-down of those exhibiting extreme behaviors.The Calonarang role has two different manifestations that are customarily played by two different actors, traditionally always men. The first version usually is the widow, a feeble, unmasked grandmother (usually called Matah Gedé) with ordinary human form.11 She appears with young disciples who dance in classical, female style. Viewers learn (mostly though penasars or clown-narrators) that the widow is angry that her beautiful daughter Ratna Mangali remains unmarried because no one wants a witch for a mother-in-law. Calonarang prays to Durga for revenge and her demure disciples morph into buta kala (toothy demons), who spread plague.12 The corpse (bangké)—usually a young man in semi-trance, representing the dead—is carried in on a stretcher. The corpse (in trance) may appear to have stopped breathing and his/her skin may become bluish. In some recent performances, the performer may even be buried or briefly set afire.13In the most popular story, King Airlanga dispatches a minister/priest, usually called Mpu Baradah, a strong male-style dancer, to deal with the spread of disease. Using a stratagem, Baradah gets the witch’s magic book, Lipyakara. At this point, the old woman has been replaced by the Rangda dancer, wearing the distinct mask representing the power of Durga in her demonic form. This tusked, white mask has staring eyes, a long, lolling tongue, and matted white hair flowing to her knees. Her costume has pendulous, exposed breasts and black, white, and red-striped leggings—the sacred colors of gods Wisnu, Iswara, and Brahma. Sharp claws splay from each of the dancer’s fingers. She holds a kreb (scarf) on which are drawn special, magically protective diagrams called rerajahan. To counter Rangda, Baradah transforms into the two-man, body puppet Barong Ket, a chthonic manifestation of Siwa, whose red face is framed with a gold, leather, mirror-worked headdress. A shaggy white animal body, leggings striped with three sacred colors, and a scarf with rerajahan diagrams around his neck complete the costume.14 Barong Ket is accompanied by young males brandishing kris daggers who confront the witch-turned-goddess. She flicks her scarf as they run at her and they fall back, turning their daggers against themselves.Once trancing starts, sacred power takes precedence, and keeping people safe supersedes story. There are no injuries when all goes correctly. The Barong’s beard and the pemangku’s (priest’s) incense, and holy water calm the violently possessed. The tukang undang (inviter), discussed below, helps ensure order. Assistants carry the trancers to the inner temple, which serves as a backstage area. There, dancers decompress via smelling incense and hearing soothing song. When not in use, the consecrated Rangda mask, along with the mask for Barong Ket, is kept in this temple where the performance takes place. are called to show have been and with by in a cemetery at while their performances are by a ritual as for troupe members The ritual takes place where the corpse has been The Rangda the corpse with of the Rangda costume to the The Rangda as he the is no the queen of magic, but is now the Goddess spouse of Lord Siwa, to right-handed or white The Rangda actor from the village community now her great power for the corpse the from disease and in this performance is to Calonarang/Rangda from the into a For some the is seen as calonarang for the of for and in performance invites of in calonarang can be in performance and When negativity is to positive the self and the group who this power in themselves purification. This performance to be a negativity in self and than fictive the performance is seen as actual of are in and often the sometimes on self and the Rangda. The be to the is by but she is also seen as a for the actual in the community who are believed to to performances through magic, to the power of those to its and magical Balinese people of this dance and at least once a most villages either with local or a performance group from that calonarang’s is the tukang the of magic whose is to and to those who left-handed The tukang undang is a spiritual with as overtakes provides a the Mpu Baradah, who is the who the who to performances in order to show their power and viewers will the tukang undang be strong to and and even current tukang at the of and of of the Rangda role in the he to his current that a tukang undang and One the of the and of any in the the tukang undang spiritual the will become by the which and for the performer in role is the a for the community that is by disease and The performer of this in a has through a before carried to the local The is in spiritual power by a spiritual the corpse is to a of but is also thought in the of right-handed against left-handed magic as léyak who try to the For the the tukang the show spiritual of or to those who take the role without who in the north of the capital at least three of to as and with the as the microcosm dissolves in the between and who are special to go through this and from to as of during performances, of and by that are seen as is with Calonarang or of She in for the power that and She is the and those in the community who ill on the performance and the tukang Yet she is also Durga, the and with Siwa of the material In the the Balinese of the Durga from cosmic before She and Siwa, in their the her and Siwa and with she of she Her was to She and a Her and Her an in Siwa likewise to Siwa and Durga in the their and into and with and incense, these to their in the At the of the and when it is not by as be not by Durga be they is the form that had To their first form have of the are in the ritual at the main temple of once to calm the of Durga and Siwa are of in to the of the and which calm Siwa and Durga, that are of the by for see the as and is in this where power may beatific in its manifestation but on that calonarang performance In the of a theatrical the potential of the to can be tukang and into the the This is an old and that performances on Bali and performance of calonarang will have the same or even when performances the same in and are but they are for or For performances of people as the tukang undang or Rangda will have those but they not is about not a The and the masks Rangda will in as the in a story is will be a for roles and and takes over. rather as the might have in a book, some may be the of a these for of since they provide traditionally families or but are found in in and by Bali In the character Calonarang the knowledge of léyak and Mpu Baradah is the that their While these are not always they the performer for the role and are in while a practice of or in and around a practitioner’s body, into the and personal to tools that the actors or to in or spiritual ritual in Bali a or used for or ritual and that represent the in While these images, and techniques may be in drawn on carried in or the in dance the with and of the to achieve the material and spiritual participants different but the of and protection and as and may either be during a performance or to an as for the Rangda of Calonarang is her hair with with with I into a is without are who is all body is a Barong and are I into all because I the of all they fall with and all from . . . of all and of . . . because I Calonarang the I and I all and all all be is of I will to become all are a is the I have one two eight all the gods are in body, of gods in body, of are in body, the of the universe is in is at as white at as is in as a The power that from the self and can be by of Mpu Baradah to negative forces to their Durga to her form as in the of Mpu for is by Mpu Baradah, by Mpu Calonarang, Ratna go to of where are to For protection against Rangda and sorcery, performers also of of the The of the is to the Indian The are associated with the points of the a and the center is seen as a place of power and associated with Siwa. and become a of returning the performer from the microcosm to with and the with the In this practice are not just but are the power of the of who take in a body. While white magic might the gods of the and their to at the in the one is the negativity by Calonarang and her witch The power will the by the using the to the form of the with the of the and with which they are them to the and the center and the one to five and each with their to three and down to two bhineda of to This is a of thinking and that the actor to and The is from this it is of the The self at the center of the the in and around and as demonic and to that from which all that is and is a tukang in Nyoman the in body, them to become the the the two and the down in the magic defeating When water which is associated with is which is associated with Rangda, the of and is seen as or is possible and is the corpse discusses the gods and are to in the of protective holy water by a A from and to is used by calonarang performers to from the to the This is what the of the are of self in Siwa. Calonarang and Barong Ket, by the of the to from their spectacular but chthonic are to the performer to and to the power and to the and this and the actor to to and to any or tools of can be or carried by major characters and other as a might a to or rerajahan are on that spiritual two a of a or and the holy discussed for the self as a site of of Matah and Rangda roles have kreb on which rerajahan are these they around their or in their a sample of which is in calonarang to to and figure the Siwa, but each becomes a representing and the is a representing the and the to the or the Siwa with for the with the sacred in and carry them in performance. not of the they carry as they but the that Rangda in the one that the Barong the one carried by the corpse and the one by dancers under their have religious diagrams on their kreb is her people are by it is they will fall To the Rangda performer it is the ultimate protection to people during some performers of the these diagrams are as for used by different performers are not but all rerajahan as tools for protection and and her disciples into a while In order for Calonarang to spread her magic, she and her dance in a and at the of the of to the of and which are and The in is in In this Calonarang takes the center of a with at compass to the Balinese version of tale by as by all the disciples and they go to the compass their appears in the her and . . . goes to the her red hair red about her her and down . . . She her her is at the her to the her body, her are her she with dance her hair her long, all the way to the goes to the her hair the turning her face and with her one the in a frightening Rangda goes to the along with who transforms into a with . . . Calonarang is as as of the and the routinely seen in Balinese performing in the of and they to of center and as The of the human audience is than the from their a in the way the performers be seen from the they and while in of Mpu Ket with in and in is a between and of and are of performance of calonarang is an in in which a is the arise, bad will from to or In a Rangda from the kris in performance. The via a that he be with his Rangda mask and his and brother during the When is seen as a of the pemangku and tukang undang as the the performance. have not the younger a on is more that will not dance Rangda without as their on because they that they is the for performers and the that has since the in of and either to or to is in Balinese spiritual is what most because this energy is to and The performance not magical associated with léyak but also energy that protects and transforms all people on the magic of calonarang and the of and that are to Balinese religious from as queen of Calonarang is also a who becomes via She has through her This of is not in the of Durga, but is also by performers as they become through performing this Balinese thinking in of the Balinese that and While and some of the may with the this is the first on a that calonarang invites people to

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