String Puppet
Item number Eh155 a-b from the MOA: University of British Columbia.
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Description
Three-dimensional male puppet representing the son of a farmer family. Head (part b) fits into body clothed in a shirt, a skirt, orange leggings, and silver shoes with curled toes (part a). The body has jointed arms and legs. The figure's right hand is flat, while the left hand is fisted. Dark grey dyed plant fibre has been used to represent hair. The shirt has a blue, red and white grid pattern, the skirt is dark blue with bands of red, white green and yellow.
History Of Use
Lifelike in appearance, the striking rukada (string puppets) of Sri Lanka perform stories about ritual practices and everyday life. There is no scripted play, the puppeteers improvise in their storytelling. The characters, in dress, gesture, and action, express social hierarchies and gender roles: the king and the prince; the politician and the village headman; the policeman and the servant boy; and a family of farmers (Farmer, son, wife, daughter). There are also character archetypes such as the sanmi (disease) demon dancer, emaciated beggar with elephantiasis, and jesters in colourful costumes who comically announce the beginning and end of the show (from Shadows, Strings & Other Things, 2019).
Item History
- Made in Galle, Sri Lanka during 1950
- Collected during 1983
- Owned by Jason Schoonover before January 31, 1984
- Received from Museum of Anthropology Shop Volunteers (Funding source) and Jason Schoonover (Seller) on January 31, 1984
What
- Name
- String Puppet
- Identification Number
- Eh155 a-b
- Type of Item
- puppet
- Material
- wood, cotton fibre ? and paint
- Overall
- height 105.0 cm, width 30.0 cm, depth 17.5 cm
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- Galle, Sri Lanka
Who
- Culture
- Sinhalese
- Previous Owner
- Jason Schoonover
- Received from
- Museum of Anthropology Shop Volunteers (Funding source) and Jason Schoonover (Seller)
When
- Creation Date
- during 1950
- Collection Date
- during 1983
- Ownership Date
- before January 31, 1984
- Acquisition Date
- on January 31, 1984
Other
- Condition
- fair
- Accession Number
- 0943/0013
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