The Peranakan Chinese family keeping wayang kulit in the spotlight

When Kang Boon Ann was seven, wayang kulit was one of the great pleasures of village life. Growing up in Kok Lanas at a time when television had yet to become common in every home, he would follow his grandmother to performances staged after the harvest season.

Back home, the fascination continued in less practical ways. “I would take my school exercise books and try to draw the puppets,” he told Bernama.

Before long, almost every page had been filled with his sketches. “My teacher used to scold me because the exercise book that was supposed to be used for homework was already filled with drawings. The only part without any drawing was the cover,” he recalled with a laugh.

That childhood fascination never really left. Now 58, Kang, better known as Che Ann, is one of Kelantan’s better-known non-Malay wayang kulit practitioners and founder of the Sri Cindayu Wayang Kulit Association.

A Peranakan Chinese, he has spent decades learning the craft, performing it and, increasingly, passing it on within his own family.

After finishing his studies, Che Ann worked as a mechanic and later opened his own workshop in Kok Lanas. It was there that he met the late tok dalang Dollah Baju Merah, or Abdullah Ibrahim, who became one of his teachers.

For about a year, Dollah taught him how to make puppets, beginning with the preparation and drying of cowhide. Che Ann later learnt performance from another puppeteer, the late Dollah Ramboo, and honed his puppet-making skills further under craftsman Yusoff Mamat of Kampung Laut, Tumpat.

At first, he made the puppets largely for himself. But as fewer performances were being staged, Che Ann began thinking about whether he could play a larger role in keeping the tradition going.

“Back then, I could see that wayang kulit was becoming increasingly subdued. There were fewer people performing it,” he recalled.

His first attempt to build a troupe in 2005 involved training outside musicians to play the traditional instruments used in wayang kulit.

Attendance slowly dwindled, however, until his wife, Eh Tian Eh Awang, suggested a different approach: instead of depending on outsiders, why not teach the family?

That idea changed the course of their involvement. Che Ann began training his wife, their two children and other relatives to play instruments, manipulate puppets, and understand the many moving parts of a performance.

Today, almost the entire production can be handled within the family. “Almost all of them are involved. My wife used to play the gong, while the children played the musical instruments. Now, they can also perform as the tok dalang and teach others,” he said.

His daughter, Kang Siew Lie, 32, began training at 14. Better known as Lily, she started with the canang before learning the gong, kesi and gedombak, and later pursued studies in performing arts.

For her, continuing the tradition felt natural precisely because the knowledge was already so close to home.

“It would be such a waste if we did not continue this legacy because the knowledge is already right in front of us,” she said. “Other people are willing to come and learn, so we ourselves need to become the successors of our father’s efforts.”

Becoming a tok dalang, however, demands much more than familiarity with the music. Lily said the puppeteer must first understand the instruments, then learn how to create distinct voices for different characters.

For her, producing that range of voices can be particularly challenging.

Her younger brother, Kang Xiau Ren, or Aaren, has also taken on the role of tok dalang while remaining able to switch back into the ensemble when needed. He says the training never really stops.

“Even when I am driving, I would practise speaking in different voices,” the 29-year-old shared.

The job requires several things to happen almost at once. One hand moves a puppet while the other searches for the next; the mind stays ahead of the story; the voice carries the characters and the ears follow the rhythm of the musicians.

“Wayang kulit puppets are lifeless objects,” Aaren added. “We are the ones who bring them to life.”

That sense of responsibility has not stopped the family from experimenting with how the art is presented. TikTok has become one way of introducing wayang kulit to younger audiences, and Che Ann said some viewers have later approached the family wanting to learn more.

Aaren has also added digital sound effects to selected battle and archery scenes, while keeping the conventional music intact. “I do not want to change the tradition – I only add elements that can help the audience immerse themselves in the story,” he noted.

The family further conducts workshops at educational institutions, where participants are introduced to wayang kulit history as well as puppet-making, music and performance.

For Che Ann, preserving the art does not mean expecting everyone to become a puppeteer. “It is enough for people to know about wayang kulit,” he said.

“Once they know it, they will begin to appreciate it. And when they come to love it, they will make the effort to preserve it themselves.”

Subscribe to our newsletter and get news delivered to your mailbox.