Date: Sun, 7 May 2006 21:36:12 +0000
To: puptcrit-AT-lists.driftline.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] What is this in English?


I've worked limberjacks before and they are almost more of a
percussion instrument than a puppet.  While the movement of the two is
similar, the manipulation is so different that I don't think they are
the same form.

The limberjack has a rod coming out of the middle of its back.  The
performer sits on a bench or chair (or step) and places a thin plank
under his leg.  It's usually between the legs, actually.  The puppet
stands on this mini-playboard.  Movement is generated by tapping the
plank so it bounces up and down.  Additional animation, like flipping,
can happen from spinning the rod, but most of the bounce comes from
the plank.

Thanks for your help with the word "planchette."

Mary

On 5/7/06, BiersBlackwood-AT-aol.com <BiersBlackwood-AT-aol.com> wrote:
> Mary,
>
> Limberjack!   That was the word I was trying to remember.   Limberjacks in
> the Appalachians could indeed have been derived from planchettes used in
> England, but not being an expert on either, I'm wondering if the limberjack isn't
> actually a simpler device?   Isn't it operated a little more directly than the
> traditional planchette?   The planchette, I believe, requires a string wrapped
> around the leg of a standing street busker, as in the Southwark Fair engraving.
>   But it could be the limberjack works in the same way, and I just don't
> recall it properly.
>
> Someone in American folk puppetry should know....
>
> Whether it is the same, or a derivative, or merely a related form of jigging
> puppet, it is likely it came over from England or Ireland.   Traces of
> Elizabethan English supposedly existed in parts of the Appalachian Mountains as late
> as the last century.
>
> Sean K.
>
>
> In a message dated 5/7/06 5:02:00 PM, mphorsley-AT-earthlink.net writes:
>
>
> > Would these Planchette puppets be a predecessor to the Appalachian
> > Limberjack dolls made to dance on a wooden paddle and also used as musical
> > accompaniant?
> >
> > Mary
> > Mechanicsville, VA.
> >
> >
>
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--
---
Mary Robinette Kowal
http://www.maryrobinettekowal.com
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