Folklore & Mythology

Four-lobed wall tile, 1450-1500, Vietnam, made for the Indonesian market, Glazed stoneware with underglaze cobalt decoration, Gift of Betty and Jack Bogart, 1994.141.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller Miriam Mills tells a story about a gecko from Bali.

Balinese stories are continually told and retold. Tales such as the Ramayana are mainly spread through storytelling, shadow plays, masked dance, chants, and other theatrical genres. Learn more.

Objective: Students gain an appreciation and understanding of art and culture, and build language skills by reading; developing scripts; making choices about gesture, voice, and expression; and performing traditional stories alongside art objects in the Asian Art Museum’s collection galleries.

Duration: One class period over the course of 1 week

Asian Art Museum Storyteller Roopa Mohan tells a tale about the Hindu deity Ganesha with the use of an artwork in the museum’s collection.

Asian Art Museum Storyteller, Jeff Byers, tells the legend of Bokuden, a famous samurai.

Storyteller, Ann Riley, tells a Japanese folktale about a mysterious teabowl with the use of artworks from the Asian Art Museum’s collection.

Lesson on the individual rituals performed by Muslim pilgrims during the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca.

Andrea Horbinski of the UC Berkeley History–Social Science Project, gives a talk to teachers at the Japan Teacher Institute at the Asian Art Museum on Japanese history, folktales, anime, and more.