Burmese marionettes: Minthta (the prince), and Minthamee (princess)
Formerly live actors were taught to be too impure to act the sacred Jataka stories down until the late nineteenth century. Puppets, being made of wood, however, “cannot act unwisely”, and hence held a monopoly on performance of jataka plays.*
*Theatre in South-East Asia by James R. Brandon
In Burmese puppet shows there are four categories of drama:
Yazawinzat: Historical dramas from the Yazawin chronicle, depicting the life of famous kings and heroes.
Hpaya tha maing: Religious stories and fables, especially pagoda tales.
Hto zat: Modern drama.
Jatakas and Mahavamsa: Birth-stories of the Buddha and stories from the chronicle of Sri Lanka.
The duet of the prince and princess (thit sa hta) is regarded as the highlight of every puppet show in Burma. The two are usually shown dancing in a forest, accompanied by two or four clowns, their attendants. The prince (min tha) and his new wife, a princess (min tha mi) are on their way home.*
Journal of the Siam Society Vol 82, Pt. 1 (1994), The Burmese Marionette Theater by Axel Bruns