Hand Puppet Item Number: 3381/11 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
Description
Mamulengo hand puppet of a 'Simao' (Simon) character. Head and hands are carved from wood and painted. He has light pink skin, wide black eyes, sculpted eyebrows, large triangular nose, small moustache, and a red upper lip. The lower jaw is hinged and movable, and is controlled by a long looped white string that extends down from the chin. He has attached faux fur black hair, that is covered by a woven wide brim hat. His fabric body / tunic is red with blue, white and yellow flowers. The fabric is adhered to the hands and head, and wrapped with shiny light green ribbon at the wrists and neck. The hands are carved to define the fingers, and the nails are painted white. Operated by inserting a hand inside the body of the puppet to control its head and movements.
History Of Use
The puppet represents a character from a form of popular puppet theatre, found in northeastern Brazil, called mamulengo. This type of theatre is prevalent in disenfranchised communities with ancestral ties to colonized Indigenous peoples and uprooted, enslaved Africans. Mamulengo performances are entertaining events that can last all night long, with puppeteers (mamulengueiros) using 70 to 100 puppets in one staging. The stages are pop-up stands (empanadas), made of brightly coloured, floral-printed cloth. The shows consist of short sequences (passagens), or skits from popular stories that expose the inequalities and dramas of everyday life, profiling stock characters such as rich landowners and peasant labourers. The whole is spun together with humour, satire, lively music, and audience commentary.
Item History
- Made by Gilberto Souza Lopes da (Maker) in Gloria do Goita, Pernambuco, Brazil during 2018
- Owned by Associacao Cultural de Amigos do Museu de Folclore Edison Carneiro before July 25, 2019
- Received from Associacao Cultural de Amigos do Museu de Folclore Edison Carneiro (Seller) and Museum of Anthropology Exhibitions Budget (Funding source) on July 25, 2019
What
- Name
- Hand Puppet
- Identification Number
- 3381/11
- Type of Item
- puppet
- Material
- wood, fibre, paint and plant fibre
- Overall
- height 64.5 cm, width 59.0 cm, depth 10.0 cm
Who
- Culture
- Brazilian
- Creator
- Gilberto Souza Lopes da (Maker)
- Previous Owner
- Associacao Cultural de Amigos do Museu de Folclore Edison Carneiro
- Received from
- Associacao Cultural de Amigos do Museu de Folclore Edison Carneiro (Seller) and Museum of Anthropology Exhibitions Budget (Funding source)
Where
- Holding Institution
- MOA: University of British Columbia
- Made in
- Gloria do Goita, Pernambuco, Brazil
When
- Creation Date
- during 2018
- Ownership Date
- before July 25, 2019
- Acquisition Date
- on July 25, 2019
Other
- Condition
- good
- Accession Number
- 3381/0011