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About the Kayon "Tree of Life" Puppet:
"Wayang kulit theater portrays the essence of the Javanese world view. Life is fleeting and changeable, not controlled by mortals or even the gods, but manipulated by some cosmic puppet master. The Javanese are too subtle to imagine that human nature is all bad or all good — even the great heroes have certain weaknesses, and some of the villains have great nobility. The Tree of Life symbolizes the nourishing mountain (guning), which feeds the plants and the villagers. A tiger looks after the sacred mountain. At the bottom in the middle of the puppet, a door symbolizes the path between the human world and the worlds of deities and spirits. The mountain is the border between both worlds. This door also represents the entrance of the sultan's palace in as much as the sultan is the mediator between the Humans and the Gods living in the mountain. The other face of the mountain represents destruction and death, symbolized by fire, flames and lava, which go out from the volcano's mouth. The volcano keeps an eye on the Humans and is watchful of their behavior. Wild animals and invisible creatures (spirits, ghosts, etc.) are the volcanoes custodians."