The jadupatua scrolls are a very old tradition among the aboriginal Santhal people of Bihar and West Bengal. The Santhal people, one account tells us, speak their own pre-Dravidian language of Santali, worship their own Santal bongas or spirits, regulate their village life in a democratic manner and celebrate their own santal festivals with dancing and feasting. The scrolls are painted by itinerant minstrel/healers known as jadupatuas, or 'magic painters'. They earn their living by wandering from village to village showing scrolls and chanting the traditional tribal stories of creation, death and life in the underworld. The scrolls consist of twenty or more indivdual story panels arranged vertically, which are unrolled and rerolled as the story is sung. Older scrolls were painted on fabric. Those shown here, dating from the last sixty years, are painted in natural paints on paper - generally a series of individual sheets sewn together.
Please Note:
Our Shopping Cart has been experiencing some problems recently, such that customers have encountered an error message and so have not been able complete purchases. If you have this problem please send us a message through the "Contact Us" form or leave a phone message at 215-765-1041. Let us know the item(s) you are trying to purchase and your contact information, including shipping address. We will send you a separate invoice that you may pay by credit card. Thank you for your patience!