Asian elephants are intelligent and extremely social animals, but they are endangered, with fewer than 40,000 in the wild. Yet they have been an important part of Southeast Asian culture for thousands of years. Domesticated and used for logging, war and as part of religious festivals, Asian elephants in some countries are featured in Buddhist art and architecture, with white elephants considered sacred omens of a king's power.

To celebrate the significance of elephants in Southeast Asian and South Asian cultures, Cornell's Southeast Asia Program (SEAP), in collaboration with the Syracuse University South Asia Center, participated in the Asian Elephant Extravaganza, hosted by Syracuse's Rosamond Gifford Zoo Aug. 21. Six Cornell student volunteers from the Southeast Asia Program accompanied SEAP outreach staff and members of the Cornell Gamelan Ensemble to Syracuse, where the zoo's four Asian elephants were shown off to nearly 3,000 people.

Two of the elephants, Siri and Indy, were born in the wild in Thailand and have been at the zoo for several decades. Siri was the center of attention as her face was painted with colorful designs, and she allowed such visitors as Daniela Arias '12 to pet her trunk. "I just touched an elephant! It made my day," said Arias.

In addition to a puppet show and such activities as Bharatanatyam and Odissi dancing, traditional henna body art and a Muay Thai (Thai boxing) demonstration, the Cornell Gamelan Ensemble performed music from Indonesia throughout the day. "It was great to reach a different audience -- one that included elephants! In particular, it was exhilarating to accompany the introduction of the face painting," said Christopher J. Miller, director of the Cornell Gamelan. "Though the elephants were clearly the main attraction, we did get a hearty round of applause, some questions about the gamelan and lots of kids wanting to try out the instruments."

Attendees were also invited to make Southeast Asian elephant shadow puppets and have their picture taken as if riding on a brightly decorated elephant. SEAP also had two displays about elephants in Southeast Asia and an Asian elephant storybook corner with a children's book list.

"It was great to send families home with a way to learn more about elephants and Southeast Asia," said Ika Nurhayani, a SEAP linguistics graduate student from Indonesia. "I really like that the bookmark SEAP distributed had the word for elephant in seven languages from Southeast Asia."

SEAP and the Syracuse University South Asia Center have both been designated National Resource Centers by the U.S. Department of Education and receive Title VI funding to provide educational outreach about the cultures in each region. SEAP has an extensive lending library including DVDs, books and culture kits for loan, says Thamora Fishel, SEAP's outreach coordinator. Both programs also provide professional development for teachers and collaborate on an initiative to reach rural schools in New York.