This headdress is for the character of Hanuman in a 'wayang wong' performance. He is the white monkey in the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. He is an ally of Rama in the rescue of his wife, Dewi Sinta (Sita) and one of the most famous characters. The ‘wayang wong’ is a dance-drama genre and it is believed that the ancient form had either developed from or evolved simultaneously as the ‘wayang kulit’ (shadow puppet theatre), whereby the puppets are replaced by human dancers. The stories for performances are Javanese versions drawn from the Indian epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Originally performed only in the royal courts of Central Java, ‘wayang wong’ today are regularly performed as a form of entertainment.
