Gede Tarmada grew up surrounded by stories. His father, the celebrated Balinese storyteller Made Taro, founded Rumah Dongeng—the “House of Tales”—in 1973, and Gede was introduced to storytelling as a child while listening to his grandfather’s stories and participating in his father’s storytelling circle. Over time, he became far more than his father’s son: he developed his own voice as a storyteller, artist, traditional musician, illustrator, and advocate for Balinese children’s culture.
Gede and Made Taro became a father-and-son storytelling team, performing in Indonesia and internationally. Their storytelling blended folktales with traditional music, movement, humor, and audience participation. The National Storytelling Network featured them in Tales From Indonesia, and Gede also participated in international storytelling festivals.
Gede shared a particularly meaningful connection with Dr. Margaret Read MacDonald. He translated and adapted Margaret’s retelling of the Estonian folktale “Mikku and the Tree” into the Indonesian story “The Wood Cutter and the TOK TEK.” Their friendship and storytelling connections extended into a wider Southeast Asian storytelling community.
His work reached beyond storytelling. Gede helped preserve traditional Balinese games and cultural traditions for children, including children with disabilities. His performances brought stories to life through music, gestures, movement, and participation while often connecting traditional tales with environmental awareness.
As Made Taro grew older, Gede increasingly took responsibility for continuing the family’s cultural work through Sanggar Kukuruyuk. Those who knew him remembered his generosity as a mentor and his commitment to sharing traditional stories and games with the next generation. His death on November 27, 2024 came before he could fully carry that work into the next chapter.
Gede once said, “As I feel now there is a need for stories, because stories always have a meaning and transmit values.”
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You can see more details on Gede Tarmada with the Story Artists Memorial.
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For Story Crossroads, Gede remains connected to an international circle of storytellers through the performances, collaborations, translations, and friendships he shared with Dr. Margaret Read MacDonald, Wajuppa Tossa, his father Made Taro, and storytellers across Southeast Asia. His legacy lives not only in recorded stories but in the children who listened, played, sang, moved, and learned through the traditions he helped carry forward.
Gede Tarmada still has a story. You have a story. We all have stories.
