By Maggie LiContributing Writer

In the jungles of India lived two greedy brothers, Sugriwa and Subali, cursed to have monkey heads.

They fought over the wife they shared and wreaked havoc in the jungle, angering the monkey king who plotted to kill Subali, the evil brother.

Members of Indonesian Performing Arts Chicago, a local non-profit arts association, performed this story Sunday afternoon through a shadow puppet show at the Evanston Public Library, 1703 Orrington Ave.

About 30 adults and children gathered to see the ancient Indian epic unfold in light and shadow.

Indonesian culture, like Indonesia itself, contains a blend of indigenous cultures. It is heavily influenced by Indian tradtions.

“I really enjoyed it,” Evanston resident Suzie Friedland said. “It made me want to go to Indonesia.”

The free show was part of an ongoing IPAC effort to encourage awareness of Indonesian art, music and dance.

“The shadow puppets are from a long tradition in Bali,” IPAC president Sagung Mirah Kertayuda said. “Through these shows, we’re trying to promote and educate people on the Indonesia culture that’s present in Chicago.”

Shadow plays, called wayang kulit, use puppets carved from buffalo skin and formed into dramatic shapes to represent humans, animals and scene props.

They were used in ancestor worship and also as a form of storytelling, communication and education. Because Indonesian culture contains Hindu elements, most of its stories come from two great Indian epics, the “Ramayana” and the “Mahabharata.”

Behind a back-lit screen, the master puppeteer, called the dalang, controls the puppets and provides every character’s voice.

The audience sees only the puppets’ shadows, moving and speaking like spirits. Traditional Indonesian instruments provide the music and sound effects.

I Gusti Ngurah Kertayuda was the show’s dalang, juggling as many as 15 puppets throughout the half-hour show.

“It shows a totally different culture that’s so other-worldly,” Evanston resident Richard Buskin said.

Audience member Susan Jordan said she lived in Jakarta for two years and has her own collection of shadow puppets.

“Indonesian culture in general is very rich,” the Evanston resident said. “The average Indonesian knows these stories in shadow puppet plays. It’s a culture of the people.”