From a Bible Story Telling Trainer...
THE PATUAS
For many centuries the Patuas have been the oral newspapers of their society. They traveled from village to village singing their own compositions while unrolling hand-painted scrolls featuring current events, stories of Hindu gods and goddesses and Muslim fakirs. Traditionally they painted and sang about kings and sages, local folktales and beliefs and gave the news of contemporary events, receiving rice, vegetables and coins for their recital. Now in the era of globalization, Patuas are responding to the changing world with their art. Besides religion and local events, scrolls and songs now frequently feature issues of worldwide concern, but with a local twist. For example, in one artist’s version of the events of 9/11, the son of an affluent Bengali gentleman goes to New York, secures a job in the "Oil Trade House" (i.e., World Trade Center), and tragically dies in the conflagration along with thousands of Americans.
The Patuas are considered to be among the least reached people groups. By Divine appointment several of these talented artist-storytellers attended the biblical storytelling training module. They said, "Before we came here this week we were not knowing very much. But after hearing these stories, now we are sure this is the path we want to follow." By the end of the week they had completed a beautiful 7-foot long colored scroll depicting stories from Creation to the Flood, and had also composed a story-song to go with the pictures.
They are brand-new Christians, so one of the translators corrected their storying afterward. It was clearly a dynamic expression of their new faith in God, contextualized for their own people. Three of them were b a p t i z e d on the last day. It was easy to see from their faces the change they had experienced. Please pray for these three men as they attempt to follow Christ and share his stories among their own people.
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