Row of handcarved wooden puppets used by storytellers from the Santal tribe, an ethnic group native to eastern India and some districts in eastern Nepal.
Rows of puppets such as these were mounted in diorama’s on the carts of travelling storytellers and were used to illustrate the stories by making them more interactive.
Puppets with more terrifying or animal-like facial features such as this row, were often used to represent the spirit world, for the Santal people a very much integral part of their daily lives.
This puppet row can be determined somewhere around the mid 20th century. Because of this age (and of course previous usage) some damages can be seen, so please look closely at the pictures to observe the condition of this item.
Sizes; approximately 41 centimeters wide and 27 centimeters high.
