IUAM displays symbolic Malian puppets

The puppets of Mali, now halfway around the globe displayed in the IU Art Museum, come in all shapes and sizes. \nOne is a large, wooden animal head, manipulated by a rod from underneath by a puppeteer whose body is concealed. Another is worn on the top of the head of a masquerader. For another, more delicate puppet, the puppeteer can open and close the jaw and twitch the puppet's ears.\n"(The puppets are) like all art," Diane Pelrine, the curator of the Raymond and Laura Wielgus Gallery for arts of Africa, Oceania and the Americas, said. "It's something visually interesting, and when looking at the meaning and the context they appear in, you can learn about another culture."\nPelrine said the puppets were originally displayed earlier this year in conjunction with a puppet conference in Bloomington.\n"This is an art form that has been going on for a number of years," Pelrine said.\nThe average student can walk away with more than just a trip to a museum.\n"(Students) could learn something about another way of entertainment and education," Pelrine said. "They are put on for entertainment, first and foremost, but they also relate to Bamanan proverbs."\nAn art form that has been going on for a number of years, the puppets are said to represent animals, people and spirits, and the puppetry performances may relate classic stories, as well as honor or satirize real and mythological figures.\nThe puppets originated from Bamana, a southern region of Mali near the borders of Burkina Faso and the Ivory Coast, and are primarily connected with youth associations in the sub-Saharan African country.\n"The youth associations put on puppet performances," Perline said. "The women in youth group will sing, and the men will perform the puppets."\nMali, slightly less than twice the size of Texas, is among the poorest countries in the world, with much of its land area desert or semi-desert and with a highly unequal distribution of wealth.\nThe Puppets of Mali, a free display, will be at the IU Art Museum tentatively through the end of September.