Santhal Pat or Story Scroll

A cobra coils around a rat while birds, fish and a crab gather to watch.

This pat or story scroll is Santhal, from Bihar / Jharkhand, India, and dates to the 19th / mid 20th century. It is painted paper. Santhal pats are traditionally shown in sequence, with each frame advancing the narrative. The top frame shows three figures in long robes among flowering vines, with two cattle below. Further down, ducks, fish and a crab circle a pair of small faces, and a large snake curls over a rat. The lowest frame shows a man and a woman among plants. It is 7.2 inches wide and 213.5 long.

Everybody gets a part in this story, including the crab.