For the first time in over a century, the lost art of Hun Luang will be performed, at the royal funeral of King Bhumibol. (With video)
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Master of puppets
KARNJANA KARNJANATAWE
For the first time in over a century, the lost art of Hun Luang will be performed, at the royal funeral of King Bhumibol
At first glance, the puppets look like nothing more than wooden dolls. They wear the costume of traditional khon performances, their curved fingers capped by long, brass fingernails. When a puppeteer pulls strings – neither from above or from inside its clothes, but underneath – the puppets come to life and perform classical dance moves almost like a human.
The puppets are called Hun Luang (Royal Puppets) or Hun Yai (Big Puppets). Lost and unseen for 150 years, the ancient art was revived by the Fine Arts Department last year, and will be one of the highlights of the performances at the royal cremation of King Rama IX on Oct 26.
"The last time Hun Luang had a performance was for the royal funeral of King Rama IV [in 1868]. This will be a once-in-a-lifetime chance for the public to see the show at the royal funeral later this month," said Pairoj Thongkumsuk, 57, a music and drama scholar at the Office of Performing Arts of the Fine Arts Department. He is one of four Hun Luang puppeteers who will pull the strings at the historic event.
The history of Hun Luang dates back to the Ayutthaya period. The elaborately built puppets were once used to perform khon – masked dance drawn from episodes of Ramakien – in the royal court and for special occasions, such as the birthdays of kings, royal weddings or court funerals.
Video by Jetjaras Na Ranong and Karnjana Karnjanatawe
The puppets are made of wood, their startling flexibility coming from the mechanism enabling each of the puppets' joints to move freely – from neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists, hip and knees – through the control of 20 strings. Each stands about 1m tall and weighs around 3kg, sometimes 5kg with the costume.
