269th
meeting –
Tuesday, December 13th 2005
The Elusive Isan Nang Talung
A
talk and presentation by Dr. Bonnie Brereton
Present: Mike Long, Hugh Long, Celeste
Tolibas-Holland, Bodil
Blokker, Constance Brereton, Victoria Vorreiter, Aileen Roantree,
Barbara
Tyrell, Jacques Roman, Renee Vines, Simone Buys, Mark Bleadon, John
Hobday,
Jeanette Pembroke, Paul Barber-Riley, David Steane, Raichanok, Noriko
Yabata,
John Cadet, Thomas Baude, Peter Gore-Symes, Marie Burrows, Anna
Lisiecka,
Thomas Ohlson, Olivier Hargreave, Sangdao Bänziger, Hans
Bänziger, Klaus
Berkmüller, Laurie Kanouse, Matt Siran, Judy Harcourt, Dale
Harcourt, Lorenz
Ferrari, Bill and Carol Stratton, Rich Mann, Roy Hudson, Maria A.
Salas, Timmi
Tillmann, Franklin DuMoulin, Mark and Dianne Barber-Riley, Bennett
Lerner, Gary
Suwannarat, Louis Gabaude, Luciene Coombes. An audience of 46.
BONNIE
BRERETON: RESUME OF EDUCATIONAL & PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Professional
Experience
Free-lance
editor, writer, researcher,
Chiang Mai, August 2005-present.
Lecturer, Thai
and Southeast Studies Program,
Academic
Director, Thai
and Southeast Studies Program,
Fulbright
Visiting Scholar,
Project
Associate, International Institute,
Lecturer, Eastern
Lecturer,
Free-lance
editor,
1992-1994.
Editor, Law
Quadrangle Notes, U-M Law School, 1984-1989.
Free-lance
writer,
1983-1989 & beyond.
Peace
Corps Volunteer, Thailand,
1969-1972 & 1965-1969.
PhD - Buddhist
Studies,
MA - History of Art,
University of
MA -
Southeast Asian Studies,
BS
– Political Science,
Membership
in Professional Organizations:
The
Partial List
of publications
▪Thai Tellings of
Phra Malai: Texts and Rituals Concerning a Popular Buddhist Saint,
▪“The Life and Times
of Walter Spink,” Ars Orientalis, Supplement I
▪“Marketing the
Dharma,” II Journal, Winter, 1999.
▪“Luis Gomez:
Consummate Scholar,” LSA Magazine, Spring, 1998.
Nang Pramo Thai
By Bonnie Brereton, PhD
I first became aware of nang pramo thai’s existence in 1975 from a former student of mine, who had been working at the Ban Chiang archaeological excavation in Udon province. She had seen and photographed a performance at a nearby village. Many years later we went to that village together in search of the puppeteer, but were told that he had died and that the puppets had been sold to someone who supposedly represented a museum.
It was not until 2003
when I was
working at
Previous Research
Up to this point there has been little research on the topic. The most substantive includes an article by ethnomusicologists Terry Miller and Jarenchai Chonphairot, published in 1979, a master’s thesis written by Chumdej Dejphimon in 1988, and an anthropological study by Suriya Smutkupt, Pattana Kitiasa and others in Khon Kaen in 1992. Miller and Chonphairot’s article identified 18 troupes, in Roi-et, Mahasarakham, Ubon, Udon, Khon Kaen, and Yasothorn; one goal of the present study is to determine how many of those troupes are still extant.
History
Shadow theatre is a
relatively new
performance genre in the northeast. Miller and Chonphairot were able to
trace
its origins only as far back as the 1920s. The earliest known troupe
was led by
a man who reportedly came to the northeast from
Miller and Chonphairot maintain that both the texts and the music used in nang pramo thai have central, rather than southern Thai influence. Perhaps the most distinctive difference is that Isan performers use the khaen as a hallmark instrument, while southerners use the oboe or pi chawa. There are still other differences in the instruments and the musical rhythms, melodies, and aesthetics produced in each region. Southern nang talung ensembles, much like those performing for manora, a local form of dance drama, typically include the following: oboe, two-string fiddle, hand symbols, small gongs, double gong strung up in a resonator box, and traditional drums; frequently, snare drums and other western instruments are used as well. Isan shadow theatre uses two, somewhat related musical styles, depending on the troupe, and will be described below; neither of these styles resembles southern music in any way.
Regarding texts, nang
pramo
thai troupes seem to fall into two groups, those that perform the Ramakian,
and those that perform local Lao stories, particularly Sin Sai.
Southern
nang talung performers, by contrast, have not performed the Ramakian
for at least several decades, but instead compose their own tales,
based a
blend of locally favorite character types and current political and
social
issues. For all of these reasons, central rather than southern
The Puppets
The number of nang pramo thai figures varies from one troupe to another; troupes generally have 80-100 figures. The puppets do not represent specific characters, but instead are character types, such as heroes, heroines, giants, etc, and theoretically can be used in different stories. However, each troupe performs only one story. For example, Khana Poh Bantheungsilpa performs scenes from the Ramakian, as does Khana Phet Nong Rua. Chumdej found that Khana Choh Thanomsilpa performed only the Sin Sai story, and Khana Prakat Samakkhi had been performing a single scene from the Ramakian since it was established in 1957.
Stylistically, nang pramo thai puppets, like those of other regions, resemble the figures seen in mural paintings throughout the country. That is, most of the puppets are drawn with the face depicted in profile, the shoulders and upper body shown frontally, and the lower body in profile. The exception is female figures, which are shown in full face.
Regarding the moveable elements of the puppets, all characters apart from jokers have one moveable arm, which moves to indicate the character is speaking. In jokers, both arms are usually moveable, as is the jaw.
Southern jokers, beloved among their fans, include the famous Ai Teng, easily identifiable by his sarong-draped potbelly, phallic-shaped forefinger, the kris (local dagger of Malay origin) he holds in his other hand, and the southern dialect that he speaks. He and other jokers are identifiable as southerners by their facial features, which suggest a mixture of south Indian or Sri Lankan genes.
Isan jokers also resemble local people: apart from speaking Lao, they have the small noses typical of Lao people. Moreover, nang pramo thai puppets include two special categories of character distinctive to the northeast: Thai boxers and dancing females; both have two moveable arms as well as moveable legs, which the puppeteers use to great advantage to keep an audience awake and entertained during a performance. These dancing female figures wear short skirts made of cloth, much like modern lively moh lam sing dancers, whose movements they imitate when they dance.
While
many southern nai nang are also skilled in making puppets,
Chumdej’s
research found that the puppets in most Roi-et troupes were not made by
the performers
or troupe leader, but were purchased from the leaders’ teacher or
were ordered
from
The Performance
The performance
usually takes
place at night, beginning around 9 p.m.
From an outsider’s perspective, it takes a long time to
get going, with
more than an hour of musical overtures. Traditionally performances
would last
until dawn; now they last about six hours. The performing area for nang
pramo thai is a large white cloth screen stretched between two
poles
several feet above ground level. Two sides are enclosed with cloth or
temporary
walls made of thatch or another temporary material, while the back
remains
open. The performers stand behind the
screen while working the puppets, while the musicians sit behind them,
except
for the khaen player who always stands while playing. As is
common
throughout
The large,
free-standing screen
differs from those in southern
The Performers
One of the most unique aspects of nang pramo thai is that it is performed not by a single puppeteer or nai nang, as in the south, but by a troupe of approximately four to seven puppeteers or even more (Isan people are typically not exclusive), often including one or two women. Each troupe has a male leader (known as the hua naa khana, or troupe leader), who works the puppets and provides the voices for the most prominent characters, with other members of the troupe playing other roles. This multiplicity of personnel makes the performing area very lively as the performers mill about and take their place at the screen or at the microphone, often dancing slightly as they move their puppets in time with the music.
The four troupes I have watched so far have demonstrated a remarkable amount of diversity in the amount of time devoted to singing, jokers, other conversations; the extent to which poetry is used; the craftsmanship of the puppets; the stories told; the role of female performers; and the musical instruments used. In most cases, the southern nai nang is a professional performer who does not earn money in any other way; often he makes his own puppets and usually has several students studying under him. In the past the nai nang traditionally was considered a powerful person, one who has special spiritual knowledge and power since he was able to cast the shadows and make the figures come alive on the screen. He also knew the incantations that are customarily said at the beginning of performances and the wai khru; also his ability to perform long hours without stopping was considered a sign of his unusual power.
Most Isan puppeteers and musicians generally earn their living primarily from rice farming and working as laborers. Performing is merely a way to supplement their income and have some fun, activities that Isan people typically are drawn to. Only one troupe leader, Nai Sangwan Pheungpew, of Khana Phet Nong Rua, in Khon Kaen, is a professional puppeteer of both nang pramo thai and hung kra bok (three-dimensional puppets); this vocation grew out of necessity after his family lost their land and he was no longer able to engage in rice farming. In the past, certain troupes sometimes held performances in exchange for rice when their stockpiles had run low.
Performance Characteristics
An important feature of nang pramo thai that differentiates it from that of southern nang talung is the puppeteer’s voice. The nai nang’s voice has a distant, ethereal quality to it and closely resembles the singing of manora, another southern dance-drama genre. By contrast, Isan performers use the local moh lam style of singing. In this connection both male and female singers with strong voices are valued.
The most commonly performed nang pramo thai stories are the Ramakian and Sin Sai, the Lao version of a tale told widely in various different forms throughout Southeast Asian. The latter tale involves Sin Sai, the hero, who was born holding a bow and arrows in his hand; his brother, Sang Thong, who was born in a golden snail shell; and his half-brother, Sinho, who was an elephant with golden tusks. The story tells how the brothers rescued their aunt after she was kidnapped by a demon. Only favorite segments of these well-known stories are performed, and never the entire epic.
In the south the Rama story has not been performed for several decades. Instead, locally written stories are performed, based on prototypical characters – kings, queens, lords, demons, and especially jokers – often concerning current political, economic, and social issues.
One is most likely to find a nang pramo thai performance in connection with Buddhist merit-making ceremonies, such as ordinations, Bun Pha Wet festival, and kae bon celebrations.
Nang pramo thai’s place in
Lao-Thai society
In their 1979 article, Miller and Chonphairot suggested that nang pramo thai was, and would probably remain, in terms of numbers, a lesser, albeit enjoyable performance form when compared to moh lam. “Its future”, they wrote, “seems assured, if somewhat obscure.” Looking back, it is difficult to assess the extent to which their predictions have come true. While nang pramo thai continues to prove entertaining to those who have the opportunity to see a performance, the number of troupes still performing appears to be declining.
In the south, where nang talung represents the heart of rural regional culture, over a hundred nai nang, most of them with apprentices, can easily be found. Nang talung is a long-standing tradition that has been constantly evolving, incorporating many aspects of modernity, such as Western musical instruments, technological changes, new musical styles, modern dress, etc. For these reasons, some local academics have been involved in “preserving” it in what they consider to be its pure form, and resist changes that the performers want to introduce.
Tensions like this
seem less apt
to intrude into the realm on nang pramo thai, where academic
involvement
thus far has been relatively limited. While Ajaan Chumdej Dejphimon at