String Puppet Item Number: Eh162 a-b from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Three-dimensional male humanoid puppet (Sanni or disease demon dancer character): head with long fibrous hair, moustache and beard (part b) fits into body clothed in a mottled blue and grey shirt and a red and pink knee-length skirt (part a). The body has jointed arms and legs. Figure has a blue-purple face with black painted eyebrows, a red mouth, and bulging, bulbous eyes. Figure has bare blue-purple feet and two blue-purple hands with curled fingers. Puppet is attached to several thin black cords tied to a plain wooden stick.

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 sanni (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

What

Name
String Puppet
Identification Number
Eh162 a-b
Type of Item
puppet
Material
wood, cotton fibre, plant fibre, paper, paint and dye
Overall
height 104.0 cm, width 38.0 cm, depth 18.0 cm

Who

Culture
Sinhalese
Previous Owner
Jason Schoonover
Received from
Museum of Anthropology Shop Volunteers (Funding source) and Jason Schoonover (Seller)

Where

Holding Institution
MOA: University of British Columbia
Made in
Galle, Sri Lanka

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
0943/0020