Thailand · Woodcarving / Puppet Making
การทำหุ่นกระบอก (Kan Tham Hun Krabok)
Hun Krabok is the traditional Thai rod puppet — a performance art form using elaborately costumed puppets manipulated by rods from below — telling stories from the Ramakien and Thai classical literature. The puppet-making tradition combines woodcarving (for the head), lacquering and gilding, Khon-style miniature costume construction, and the mechanical engineering of the rod control system. Hun Krabok heads are carved in hardwood with the same iconographic vocabulary as Khon masks (CRAFT-0037) but at 1:4 scale — the carving requires the same formal knowledge in miniature. The costume is a complete miniature Khon costume (CRAFT-0213), with all the same embellishment techniques at 1:4 scale — at this scale, individual beads are the size of a pencil point. The tradition is centered in Ang Thong province and maintained by the Sakorn Yang Doll group and a small number of specialist families.
Risk level: Critically Endangered · Not inscribed; Thai national cultural heritage recognition
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