Folk Museums- A NEW CONCEPT

by Dr.PG Punchihewa

Folk museums lately are receiving more and more attention They deal with and . Such museums cover local life in rural communities. A folk museum typically displays historical objects that were used as part of the people’s everyday lives. Examples of such objects include clothes and tools. Many folk museums are also and some cover (Wikipaedia)The concept of open-air museums originated in in the late 19th century .While they serve as centers of a sub culture They are also increasingly becoming tourist attractions.

In Sri Lanka there are two well known folk museums’ one at Anuradhapura and the other at Koggala which exclusively deals on life and works of Martin Wickremasinge..

A folk museum has to focus on a particular community or a locality .In a particular case it can include certain subcultures which have an affinity to the main one. Folk culture and tradition can encompass a wide area or subjects. It can be common or individual objects.For the sustenance of a folk museum it is fitting that one or more supportive sub cultures be there. They can be symbiotic. .One feeding the others.

Mirissa

Mirissa a small town on the south coast of Sri Lanka located in the of the . It is approximately 150 kilometers south of and is situated at an elevation of four meters (13 ft) above sea level. Mirissa’s beach and nightlife make it a popular tourist destination. It is also a fishing port and one of the island’s main whale and dolphin watching locations. Mirissa is one of the most popular beach destinations in southern , and for a good reason! The area has it all, ,

But Mirissa is not all about the beaches and sea food The Legend

The legend about Mirissa goes back to the time of Viharamaha Devi.It is said that she developed a desire to eat from a 16-foot long honey comb and it was found on a fishing boat near Mirissa . But there are no historical records which refer to Mirissa.

How ever there are more.legends,traditions and cultural objects and artifacts at Mirissa which are not found in any one spot along the south west coast Sri Lanka.At Mirissa there are two subcultures dependent on the vocation of the people – fisheries and agriculture-based activities. It also has a group which specializes in tovll -a ritualistic performance and drumming. Like two seeds in a pod the two communities have led to a peaceful co-existence. Kolam dance is common to both.

Kolam Dance of Mirissa

Kolam dance in a rudimentary form had its origin in South India and probably was introduced to Sri Lanka about two to three centuries ago. In a background which had a form of ritualistic dance in thovil, kolam added a new dimension in the form of local characters like vidane, panikkiya nonci, mudali, hewa and duraya. They brought in a sense of humor to Kolam dance.

Kolam dance is chiefly distinguished by the fact that the actors wear masks that are carved out of soft wood like kaduru and is mainly concentrated in the Southwest of the island, more particularly in Ambalangoda and Mirissa . It may be due to ritualistic dance, thovil was accepted and practiced in these two villages for a long time.

However, Kolam performance did not last long in its original form even in these localities. It had to give way to a form of drama called nurti introduced from North India. . Its lilting music ,rich costumes ,historical or mythical stores etc. soon overpowered kolam. The Editor of Lakminipahana in its publication of January 1886 refers to this changa(1.)

Kolam masks

Although Kolam performance is not common anymore, both Mirissa and Ambalangoda have jealously preserved the Kolam masks. Even today at Mr. Martin Amarasinghe’s residence at Udupila, Mirissa, there are said to be about 100 masks of various kinds belonging to about 70 Kolam dramas which this clan owns. In addition, Sunandaramaya at Mirissa has about 30-40y masks. The most significant feature of the collection is that it contains the oldest and the rarest traditional mask called “the panchanârighata” (with five faces). Kolam group of Mirissa is a one, handed down from generation to generation.

The position in Mirissa is that although Galle Road and coastal regions ,due to a rapid growth of tourism have been developed, when one observes a place like Udupila in Mirissa that the rural areas continue to exist as they were in the past. Mirissa group has not yet made art their livelihood. They refuse to give economic value to their art and as far as possible try to preserve its traditional value.

Cultural values of traditional subsistence economy, which is not mixed with capitalistic social changes, can still be seen in them. (2.)The position in Mirissa is that they are people who still derive pleasure out of folk sports that prevailed in feudal days. They refuse to give economic value to their art and as far as possible try to preserve its traditional value. Cultural values of traditional subsistence economy, which is not mixed up with capitalistic social changes, can still be seen in them.

Masks for aesthetic pleasure

“Masks themselves have become aesthetic pleasure” states Dr Siri Gunasinghe.3.They had a very important role to play as the most effective means of impersonating the extraordinary characters that feature in these performances both ritual and dramatic.”

“In the kolama ,in all probability ,is preserved a very old tradition of narrative drama of a purely folk style. Vidane, Panikkiya and Nonci are some of the characters that have been favorites subjects of the mask makers. In spite of the exhilarating humorous appearance these masks stand out on account of the realistic effect of old age that has been very cleverly brought out .These masks are probably some of the best creations of the Sinhala carver.”3.Siri Gunasinghe

“Viewed independently of the performance itself ,all these masks seem very neutral and lacking in in any kind of expression that may provoke laughter ,but once worn by the actor every tilt ,every change of angle ,every movement of the head is capable of a large variety of expressions.(2)”A mask that often becomes full of expression and provokes a good deal of mirth is the mudali kolama bringing out all that is haughty in the high government official(3)

The task of the Ceylon mask maker compared to the Indonesian mask maker was perhaps made more difficult by the need for a juxtaposition of the various components. In addition, he also had his limitations in the use of colors .However Dr.Siri Gunasinghe says we must give the village craftsman the credit for creating some of the most colorful masks known to folk art anywhere in the world.”(3)

.2 Dr.Senevirathne.S.S.A¹
Kariyakarawane S.M*²CONOMIC STRUCTURE OF SRI LANKAN KOLAM DRAma
3.Dr Siri Gunasinghe Masks of Ceylon

Samudragirviharaya

Aithough there are about five temples in Mirissa the oldest must be Samudragirivharaya.The development of the Samudragriri Viharaya is said to commence from the early 19^th century when a bhikkhu from Tiranagama came to reside at this monastery The fact that a bhikkhu from outside came to Mirissa and took up residence at this monastery vouch for its old times.

“The monastery consists of a large image shrine containing some of the best of the low country sittara style datable to the nineteenth century” says Prof. Senaka Bandaranaike in his monograph on Samudragiri Viharaya.He adds ,” the paintings of the Samudragiriviharaya appear to have been saved from the infiltration of the twentieth century Rococo art forms (widely detailed to the point of excess) which have disfigured many of the nineteenth century low country paintings of the southern temples.”

The paintings include the birth and the early phases of the life of Siddharta and a number of jatakas among which are Sama Jataka ,Khantavadi Jataka ,Sasa Jataka ,Kurudhamm)jataka ,Deva dhamma Jataka and Culladhammapala Jataka and several others and configurations of the six heavens.

Two sittaras one from Denepitiya and the other from Garanduwa both few miles from Mirissa are said to have been involved with the paintings in the image house.The significance of the paintings of SamudragiriViharaya has been recognized by the State in in reproducing some of the in the postage stamps in 1986

Lacemaking

THE ancient craft of making beeralu lace was introduced to Sri Lanka during the colonial times ,more likely during the time of Dutch occupation. The words beeralu ,isbeesalaya ,alpenetta doyle,are of Dutch origin.

Today, it is a cottage industry that has received worldwide recognition.

Mirissa had been specializing in lace making probably from the time it was introduced .While the men went fishing the women were gainfully occupied in lace making It is intricate and laborious. There were times when young girls were expected to learn it .Even today it is a thriving cottage industry.

The writer has seen the beeralu kotte and its practitioners in tourist centers in Holland where they exhibit their skills.

Case for a folk museum

.Mirissa though small in size and population has all the ingredients needed for a folk museum. The artifacts that were used by the different groups of the community in different trades will be interesting if dis played. For eg the different types of boats like kuda oru, bala oru,madal oru and now bahu dina yathra and nets like karal dal,,madal.hurulle dal have not changed the art of fishing in Mirissa..In Uupila there are artifacts different from those of the main subculture

As mentioned in the body of the paper, there is enough to fill a folk museum before they get lost.

(Location .The writer and the co-owners of the family have donated a block of land to the government which we feel is ideal for the proposed folk museum. Details of this land could be obtained from the Divisional Secretary Weligama .Unfortunately except for a few encroachments nothing has taken place on this land).