Lalki na Madagaskarze i pobliskich wyspach
Puppets in Madagascar and on Nearby Islands

Summary/Abstract: The authors of the reviewed book undertook the task of a detective tracing Malagasy customs as well as those of the inhabitants of neighbouring islands. Naturally, myths were preserved and today speak of the creation of man in local conditions. Puppets, however, left behind scarce traces; some are to be found in Swiss and French museums and display distinctive natural features. Old illustrations also testify to the existence of à la Planchette puppets (dancing on a small plank). Extant para-theatrical forms include the theatre of seeds and beads or stories told with stone figures. The theatrical instinct urges the population of the island to create figurines portraying persons encountered in daily life or to adorn a gravestone pillar with statuettes. Other surviving forms include the Ngoma dance performed under a huge hat or funereal games played with the corpse of the deceased. Magic practices using mirror fragments or fertility sticks with female heads have also endured. The former hegemony of the French is recalled in Guignol de Lyon, which, however, does not fulfil noble functions similar to those performed in its homeland.

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