Rama Overview

LESSON BOX
uPROJECT HOME	uOVERVIEW AND CONTENTS
uIMAGE LIBRARY	uSOUTHEAST ASIAN VARIANTS uGEOGRAPHY
RAMAYANA IN INDIA: uMIDDLE SCHOOL SCRIPT uINTERVIEW WITH ROBERT GOLDMAN u"THE RAMAYANA, an Enduring Tradition: its Text and Context"
uWAYANG ACTIVITY	uSTORY CLOTH ACTIVITY uMASK MAKING
uVOCABULARY	uREFERENCES/ LINKS

The Ramayana in Southeast Asia

OVERVIEW

OVERVIEW CONTENTS

Focus Question
Grade Level
CHSS Standards
Objectives

Lesson:
Introducing the Topic:

I. Review of Ramayana in India

II. Southeast Asian Variants:

Thailand
Laos
Cambodia
Indonesia
Malaysia

Developing the Topic:

I. Wayang Activity

II. Story Cloth Activity

III. Mask Activity

Vocabulary
References

FOCUS QUESTION: How was the Indian Sanskrit epic, Ramayana, passed from India through Southeast Asia?

The universal themes and ideals in the Indian epic, Ramayana, have long appealed to the diverse cultures of Southeast Asia. However, each culture in Southeast Asia has interpreted the Ramayana slightly differently. Sometimes this process is referred to as the "indigenization of Ramayana." The epic themes and ideals of righteous behavior, loyalty to family and kingdom, the balancing of good and evil, self-sacrifice for the betterment of society, morality, role of family, ideal relationships between father and son, brother to brother, friend to friend , and wife to husband provide global appeal, but also provide an opportunity for expression of local cultural identity. As a living tradition portraying the human condition, the epic reflects the languages, customs, cultures, history, religion, social, economic, and political values throughout Southeast Asia.

The legend of Rama as an individual who established human values in society can be seen and heard in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The hero is willing to give up everything no matter the cost to preserve the integrity of his kingdom. He dedicated his whole life to upholding social values and principles. He is the ideal man and one to whom all should aspire. Rama and his legend present a way of life for human beings which has universal appeal in these societies. At the same time Rama's wife, Sita, represents the goddess of fertility and is associated with rice cultivation, the fundamental economic activity in the region. The annual performances of the Ramayana variations are often connected with the agricultural cycle and are staged to assure a blessing on the farmer's work and harvest.

In ancient times, Ramayana was probably brought from India to the neighboring countries of Southeast Asia by way of oral transmission along with the puranas and the popular oral tales. The language and names of characters may change from content to conflict, but the core of the Rama legend remains constant. The plot consists of the banishment of the hero by his father, the king. During a period of exile, the hero's wife is abducted by demons. A rescue is undertaken with animal helpers. The prince and the princess are reunited by the end of the period of exile. The variations, deviations, changes, additions, and omissions in the story in each country depend on the cultural values of the people.

GRADE LEVEL: 6th grade: 1-2 weeks following the India unit (The art project will require more time.)
CALIFORNIA STATE CONTENT STANDARDS FOR GRADE SIX::
OBJECTIVES:
Geographic	Identify the major regions of Southeast Asia, particularly Thailand, Laos and Cambodia.
Cultural	Introduce students to major cultural forms used in the transmission of the Ramayana in Southeast Asia.
Historical	Increase students' understanding of the movement of culture and ideas between South and Southeast Asia.

LESSON:

IntroductoryActivities I: BACKGROUND for Ramayana in India

(TRANSITION FROM INDIA UNIT)
Guided Discussion
Review Valmiki's Ramayana:

An on-line plot summary can be found at "The Ramayana, an Enduring Tradition: its Text and Context"

Interview on Rama as hero with Professor Robert Goldman

Guided discussion:

Major themes such as loyalty, civic and family duty

Major tenets of Hinduism and Buddhism in India: varnas (castes), dharma (duty), karma (action)

See glossary at http://uwacadweb.uwyo.edu/religionet/er/hinduism/HGLOSSRY.HTM
Oral roots of the story, history of Valmiki's story, and other means of transmission through performance and art. Example: On-line video: Odissi dancer, Jyoti Rout, talks about how the Ramayana was "conveyed to people through paintings, through singing, dancing" when she was growing up in India.

Introductory Activity II: BACKGROUND for Ramayana in Southeast Asia

Geography: Introduce the modern countries of Southeast Asia using maps and atlases: look at river systems, oceans, islands, climate, mountain ranges, natural resources, and religion. Internet resources for students' geography reports.

Guided Discussion: History and Culture

Show examples of how the Indian epic, Ramayana, penetrated the different cultures of Southeast Asia through the arts by reviewing the story in the Image Library.

What are the universal patterns and themes in the Ramayana which made it so attractive to Southeast Asian cultures? How are these themes applicable to the present? In what ways does the story also support the political or social order?
Ramayana is a considered a sacred story. What is the relationship between religion and the social/political order? (or, What role does religion play in people's day to day lives?)

Notes on Southeast Asian Variants:

Thailand

Laos

Cambodia

Indonesia

Malaysia

Developing the Topic I: WAYANG ACTIVITY

In this activity students write and perform a shadow puppet scene drawn from a Southeast Asian variant of the Ramayana. It can be an extension of the Indian Ramayana shadow puppet project found at http://orias.berkeley.edu/hero/ramayana/shadowplay_ramayana.html

Developing the Topic II: STORY CLOTH

In this activity students work collaboratively on a class sewing project to construct a Ramayana story cloth in the tradition of Southeast Asia. Students at Portola Valley Middle School are currently working on the project and we will post the refined instructions later in the year.

Developing the Topic III: MASKS

Art teacher Brigid Corboy provides directions for mask making in this activity. Students frequently construct masks as part of their Africa unit in the 7th grade. The Ramayana offers an opportunity of introducing the performance mask in the 6th grade. Both India and Southeast have a rich tradition of using masks as part of the Ramayana performing tradition.
See http://www.gocambodia.com/culture/casting_characters.asp for a brief overview of professional mask making in Cambodia.

Developing the Topic I: WAYANG ACTIVITY
In this activity students write and perform a shadow puppet scene drawn from a Southeast Asian variant of the Ramayana. It can be an extension of the Indian Ramayana shadow puppet project found at http://orias.berkeley.edu/hero/ramayana/shadowplay_ramayana.html
Developing the Topic II: STORY CLOTH
In this activity students work collaboratively on a class sewing project to construct a Ramayana story cloth in the tradition of Southeast Asia. Students at Portola Valley Middle School are currently working on the project and we will post the refined instructions later in the year.
Developing the Topic III: MASKS
Art teacher Brigid Corboy provides directions for mask making in this activity. Students frequently construct masks as part of their Africa unit in the 7th grade. The Ramayana offers an opportunity of introducing the performance mask in the 6th grade. Both India and Southeast have a rich tradition of using masks as part of the Ramayana performing tradition. See http://www.gocambodia.com/culture/casting_characters.asp for a brief overview of professional mask making in Cambodia.