AN Indonesian children’s song, written by musician Ibu Sud, begins with this:

Nenek moyangku seorang pelaut (My ancestor was a sailor)

gemar mengarung samudra luas (who loved to sail the open seas

And yet the sea is a silent part of the traditional narrative of some Indonesians.

Wayang shadow puppet performances do not begin and end with the sea, but with a mountain, or gunungan: two-dimensional cones adorned with images of trees and fo