![]() In their introduction to the above work, Hardin and Arnoldi identify this interplay with specific regard to African objects, but their comments have much broader implications. Hardin and Mary Jo Arnoldi, African Material Culture, 1996.) Throughout the world, scholarship and commercialized definitions of exactly what constitutes “authenticity” have influenced one another in complex ways during most of the 20th century. Scholars routinely struggle with conflicting perspectives between expertise, stylistic and regional studies and “a more contemporary focus on the role of objects and on the ideational frameworks within which these objects are produced and used.” (Kris L. At the same time, many traditional puppeteers from around the world were attempting to present their work to a public from other cultures. During the last twenty years of the 20th century there were increasing efforts made to understand traditional puppetry performances from an indigenous viewpoint, that of the performers and also of their local audiences. So it is important not to associate tradition and authenticity too strictly. The English historian Eric Hobsbawn asserted that tradition coincides with the invention of a tradition. Tradition and AuthenticityĮven the concept of tradition is far from carrying a universal meaning. With population growth and the development of means of communication, the rhythm and frequency of this cultural diffusion have been considerably intensified and diversified. Thus the techniques of shadow puppetry, usually associated with Central Asia, could well have been developed independently by different cultures in widely separated locations. But in other instances, a new form is invented simultaneously but independently in a number of places. Sometimes evidence suggests that a specific character or form of puppetry arose only once scholars can then trace it back to its roots. In contrast, “the snake of Wagadu” and the manatee characters in the Sogo bó masquerades of the Ségou region of Mali, remain relatively localized.ĭetermining the origins and subsequent paths of diffusion is complicated. For different reasons, some traditional puppet characters, such as Pulcinella in the West and Arjuna in the East, became widely diffused across many cultures. For instance, the prevalence of Hindu characters and themes in the traditional puppetry of a Muslim country such as Indonesia implies a diffusion and relocation of models from their origins in India. Even local traditions are susceptible to diffusion. The ability to explain a traditional puppet show depends on our ability to appreciate the conventions that the artists involved have followed, modified or abandoned. Each tradition has its own way of representing life and interpreting the human condition. Understanding a performance or a celebration relevant to an unfamiliar culture is a complex task. ![]() These groups may be united by social or economic class, language, ethnicity, history, geography, religion or other bonds that define their sense of belonging to a unique culture. Often such performances are closely tied to modes of thought or behaviour of a group, transmitted via customs which are drawn upon and thus affirmed or promoted. ![]() Traditional puppetry is characterized by specific styles, particular stories, types of puppets and techniques of performance that have been passed down from generation to generation.
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