Hand Puppet Item Number: 3352/4 from the MOA: University of British Columbia

Description

Mamulengo hand puppet of a 'Goiaba' character holding a large knife in his right hand. The head, hands and knife are carved from wood and painted. He has black skin, a large menacing grin with red lips, and large oval black eyes. He wears a grey folded suede hat. He has. His fabric body / tunic is a red with yellow, pink and light green floral fabric.

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

What

Name
Hand Puppet
Identification Number
3352/4
Type of Item
puppet
Material
wood, fibre, paint, skin and metal
Overall
height 61.0 cm, width 51.0 cm, depth 12.0 cm

Who

Culture
Brazilian
Creator
Tamires do (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 May 28, 2019
Acquisition Date
on May 28, 2019

Other

Condition
good
Accession Number
3352/0004