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I am trying to find more information on an item that I bought that had a sticker on it reading "MMIIDO cut out from Thailand, very old" It looks like some kind of folk art but I have been unlucky with my internet search.

Dear Angie

It's a tourist sevenior.

Actually it is a head of Tosakan (Ravana) - King of the Demons of Lanka and strongest of Phra Ram's adversaries. Tosakan has ten faces and twenty arms, and possesses a myriad of weapons. The character is from Ramayana Epic or Ramakien in Thai.

Your piece was made of cut sun dry buffalo skin. It's a part of Nang Yai (a shadow puppet play originally from the southern part of Thailand)

There are 2 kinds of this shadow puppet plays, Nang Yai which play the story about Ramayana with fabulous and colorful puppet, and another one is Nang Ta lung which plays any stories but Ramayana with simple black color puppets.

You may use keyword to google:-
1)nang yai
2)nang talung

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You can watch sample of Southern Thai shadow puppet play:-
http://www.youtube.com/watchv=jx927yunhOE&feature=related
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And read the link :-

RAMAYANA and Thai Ramakien:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramayana

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramakien

Tosakan (Ravana):-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravana
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Related links:-
http://www.geocities.com/rainforest/7153/talug.htm

http://www.muanglung.com/nangtalung.htm

Have fun
Anita Mui

Anita,
This was an exciting and enlightening response from you. Thank you so much for the briefing on it and look forward to researching it further. I really appreciate your helpful response to this.
Thank you,
Angie

The most famus about Nang Yai standing in Wat KANON Nang Yai museum show on original and history of nangyai...in Amphur Photharam Rajburi Thailand about 30Klms. from floatting market "Damnernsaduak"

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