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From traditional to modern times, puppetry has long been a form of art and entertainment enjoyed by youngsters and adults alike, popular in as many cultures as there are types of puppets. In Thailand, official records indicate that puppetry dated back to the era of King Narai (1656 - 1688), during a time when social events included both puppetry and the traditional Thai masked dance dramas. Interestingly enough, the records additionally reveal that puppet theater was performed not only by the Thais, but also by the other ethnic communities that had infiltrated into the Kingdom, largely as a product of war. The Mon and Lao communities, for example, that either opted or were forced to migrate to Thailand, ended up comfortably settling down in the Kingdom, and bringing with them, their own puppet theater traditions. Likewise, the Thais who ended up in neighboring countries introduced to those areas, the Thai traditions - in Burma, what is called the "Yodia" theater is actually Burmese for "Ayutthaya." It comes as no surprise then, that Thai society from the Ayutthaya era to the Rattanakosin era included Burmese, Lao, Mon and the varying communities of Chinese puppet theater. |
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Arguably, the most influential Chinese puppetry was Hainanese puppet theater. In the Government Gazette, issue number 90, page 286, it was recorded that puppet theater was included in Royal birthday celebrations. The puppets were actually what we now understand as "hun krabok" or traditional Thai bamboo rod puppets. After impressive and exhaustive research into Thai oral history, we now also understand that these puppets had actually been derived from the Hainanese puppets. Evidently, a Nakornsawan native had been so enamored with Hainanese puppet theater that he adapted parts of the puppet to create a more Thai-style puppet, using bamboo rods for the arms. He sang and manipulated the puppets himself, bringing to Thai audiences performances that stole their hearts, and creating a tradition that would live on for generations to come... |
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