''Hun lakhon lek'' ( th, หุ่นละครเล็ก, ) is a type of traditional small Thai
puppet which uses three
puppeteers
A puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, called a puppet, to create the illusion that the puppet is alive. The puppet is often shaped like a human, animal, or legendary creature. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from ...
working together to produce a character with more mobility and lifelike movement.
History
''Hun la korn lek'' has been a form of entertainment for the
Thai people
Thai people ( th, ชาวไทย; '' endonym''), Central Thai people ( th, คนภาคกลาง, sou, คนใต้, ตามโพร; ''exonym and also domestically'') or Siamese ( th, ชาวสยาม; ''historical exonym an ...
and foreigners alike for more than a century. It was invented by
Kru Krae Suppawanich in 1901 during the reign of
King Mongkut
Mongkut ( th, มงกุฏ; 18 October 18041 October 1868) was the fourth monarch of Siam (Thailand) under the House of Chakri, titled Rama IV. He ruled from 1851 to 1868. His full title in Thai was ''Phra Bat Somdet Phra Menthora Ramathibo ...
(King Rama IV). He developed it while trying to construct a
Hun Laung (Royal Thai puppet), which he found involved too many complicated structures and too many strings. He decreased the number of the strings inside the puppet, and thus invented ''hun la korn lek''. His first performance was in
Varadis Palace
Varadis Palace ( th, วังวรดิศ; ) is the former residence of Prince Tisavarakumarn, the Prince Damrong Rajanubhab on Lan Luang Road in Bangkok, Thailand. The palace was built in 1911 by German architect Karl Döhring during the rei ...
.
Kru Kare continued performing with his puppets, but after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
he found he was growing older, and that ''hun la korn lek'' was beginning to decrease in popularity. He passed 30 of his puppets onto his daughter-in-law, and the rest of his puppets were "drowned" in the
Chao Phraya River. Later on, his daughter-in-law passed the remaining puppets on to
Sakorn Yang-keawsot (English nickname Joe Louis) because of his ability in performing with the puppets. ''Hun la korn lek'' was brought back to the public eye by the ministry of culture at the celebration of the 200th anniversary of
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...
in 1985, and has been publicly performed continuously ever since.
Construction of the puppets
All the structures and head are molded from clay to generate a character with a human-like appearance. These clay pieces are covered with paper and allowed to dry in the sun. Arms and legs are made from fabric which is filled with cotton. Wooden foldable joints are attached so limbs have a lifelike movement. Hands and feet are carved from
Thong Lang wood, a wood which is lightweight and carves easily. The pieces are painted. Costumes are made using handmade cloth and sewed by hand according to traditional Thai sewing methods. The face of the puppet is painted with colored clay to match the color of human skin. Eyes and lips are painted with poster paint.
Performance technique
To perform ''Hun la korn lek'', three puppeteers are each responsible for different functions. They need to have a thorough knowledge of basic
Khon
Khon ( th, โขน, ) is a dance drama genre from Thailand. Khon has been performed since the Ayutthaya Kingdom.
It is traditionally performed solely in the royal court by men in masks accompanied by narrators and a traditional piphat ensembl ...
dance, and a lot of practice and teamwork are required for the three of them to perform together as one character. The first puppeteer controls the head and the right hand of the puppet. The second puppeteer controls the left hand of the puppet. The third puppeteer controls the feet of the puppet. They must be skillful and experienced enough to control every part in unison to produce a perfectly coordinated character.
Story
''Hun la korn lek'' performances generally involve renditions of Thai Royal novels and traditional Thai novels, mainly
Ramakein and
Sang Thong. The play does not generally involve a performance of the whole story from beginning to end, but only one chosen part of the story which is divided into three acts. The story may be told in its original version or rearranged by the composer.
[Yasovant, J. (n.d.). Retrieved February 2015, from http://www.scene4.com: http://www.scene4.com/archivesqv6/dec-2006/html/janineyasovant1206.html]
See also
*Hun krabok
References
{{Reflist
Thai culture
Puppetry