Water Puppet

About this object

History of use

Water puppets (mua roi nuoc / múa rối nước) are used in a unique form of rod puppetry found only in Vietnam. The stage is an enclosed pool of water, smoke and firecrackers burst over the surface and musicians play instruments in time to the puppets’ actions. In Vietnamese water puppetry, there are a series of short sequences or skits rather than a singular narrative. The skits are full of humour and satire and depict the folklore and culture, everyday lives, and comic misadventures of rural people, who work on the river and in the rice-paddy fields. There are also sequences that depict mythological characters, creatures, and tales, such as The Dance of the Princesses and Fairies and the Fabulous Unicorns (Ky Lan) Playing with a Ball (from Shadows, Strings & Other Things, 2019).

Narrative

Collected in 1994, in Ho Chi Minh City, by Jason Schoonover and Susan Hattori. The puppets were collected from The Traditional Water Puppetry Troupe, operating out of the Historical Museum in Ho Chi Minh City.

Physical description

Water puppet (mua roi nuoc) of a dragon character. Puppet (part a) has a large head carved with small scales and painted green, a wide nose in gold, small side-set eyes with orange and white accents, and a wide mouth, open and showing two fangs at the outer corners. Two large fans sit to the back of the head. The body is made of six wood cylinders, each carved with scales and topped with fins. The cylinders are attached together with a bike chain hammered into the bottom of each, as well as thin plastic tubing, allowing the body to flex and move. A short wooden rod (part b) is used as a puppet handling stick and can be inserted into the puppet's neck in order to move the head.