To: brighella13-AT-hotmail.com
Date: Mon, 26 Jan 2009 21:47:40 GMT
Cc: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Nepal marionettes


For James Bowen--

Mok Chiu Yu said there were no Nepalese puppeteers today. So far, I have never heard of any Nepalese tradition of puppetry, though the mask tradition is strong, as it is also in Mongolia.

You have not confirmed on puptcrit if your Nepalese string puppets are those which have mache masks on stuffed cloth bodies with limited arm and leg movments. The first ones to hit markets in the US had only one face. Now double faces are the norm, some with extra arms--2 sets for two directions. The buyer gets 2 for one.

When these first showed up in local shops I was told they were the result of a Peace Corps idea. I think that is quite believable.  Souvenir mache masks had been around for a long time, so this was an ADAPTED art form, adding the mask(s) to a body. Some had clay arms & feet which broke easily during shipping. A few had wooden arms & feet which were sturdier, thus preferable.

Are these what you re referring to?

What kind of presentation are you planning?

ALAN COOK

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