Ticuna Shaman Mask

TITLE: Ticuna Shaman Mask
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Latin America
COUNTRY: Brazil
SUBREGION: Amazonas
ETHNICITY: Ticuna
DESCRIPTION: Shaman Mask
CATALOG ID: LABR004
MAKER: Unknown
CEREMONY: Adult Initiation
AGE: ca. 1990s
MAIN MATERIAL: wood
OTHER MATERIALS: bark cloth; plant fiber; pigment

The Ticuna people of the Amazon rain forest populate large parts of the Amazonas state of Brazil, as well as parts of Colombia and Peru.  Brazil finally recognized the Ticuna right to control over some of their historic lands in 1990.  Men make and use all Ticuna masks, are used primarily in adult initiation rituals for girls and in funerals.  Funeral masks always represent animals that the deceased would want to hunt in the next life.  Human masks are part of a full body suit made of tapa (cloth made from pounded tree bark) and are danced at an elaborate ceremony for the initiation of girls into adulthood.  This specific mask was almost certainly made for the tourist trade.

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Commedia dell’Arte Capitano

TITLE: Commedia dell’Arte Capitano
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Europe
COUNTRY: Italy
ETHNICITY: Italian
DESCRIPTION: Capitano Cocodrillo (Captain Crocodile) mask
CATALOG ID: EUIT003
MAKER: Alan G. Newman (London, England, 1951- )
CEREMONY: Commedia dell’Arte; Carnival
AGE: 2012
MAIN MATERIAL: leather
OTHER MATERIALS: pigment; goat hair; elastic strap

The Commedia dell’Arte was a form of public entertainment that succeeded the classical Roman theater in Italy.  Like classical theater, Commedia performers wore leather masks to represent stock characters and often performed in amphitheaters to large audiences.  However, the Commedia differed in having only a very basic plot sketch, with most of the lines invented extemporaneously by the actors.  The Commedia‘s ability to stay topical and its frequent resort to vulgar humor, combined with the considerable talent of Italian troupes that traveled throughout Europe, made this form of theater extremely popular throughout the early 17th to late 19th centuries. Masked actors had to compensate for their inability to convey facial emotion through posture, gesture, and vocal nuance.

The Capitani were long among the most popular stock characters of the Commedia. Different acting troupes used different captains.  They all had comical or evocative names, such as Spavento della Valle Inferna (Captain Fear of Hell’s Valley), Matamoros (Captain Moor-Killer), or Sangue y Fuego (Captain Blood-and-Fire).  The captain masks were originally flesh-colored, with a menacing nose to represent a bullying personality.

This specific Capitano represents Cocodrillo (Crocodile) and comes from classically trained mask maker Alan G. Newman.

To learn more about Commedia dell’Arte, see Pierre Louis Duchartre, The Italian Comedy (Dover Pubs., 1966).

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Mah Meri Moyang Jantong

TITLE: Mah Meri Moyang Jantong
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Asia
COUNTRY: Malaysia
ETHNICITY: Orang Asli (Senoi)
DESCRIPTION: Moyang Jantong (Banana Plant Spirit) Mask
CATALOG ID: ASMY001
MAKER: Unknown
CEREMONY: Celebration; Spirit Invocation
AGE: 1970s
MAIN MATERIAL: blackboard wood
OTHER MATERIALS: metal; cotton string

The Mah Meri tribe belongs to the Senoi people, one of the indigenous peoples (Orang Asli) of Malaysia. They have traditionally carved masks from the wood of the blackboard tree (Alstonia scholaris) for use in celebrating festive occasions, such as weddings. The masks embody benevolent spirits that, in the animistic pantheon of the Mah Meri, are used to drive away evil, soul-stealing spirits.  This mask, Moyang Jantong, represents the spirit of the banana plant, an important source of food to the Mah Meri.

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Topeng Jauk Manis

TITLE: Topeng Jauk Manis
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Asia
COUNTRY: Indonesia
SUBREGION: Bali
ETHNICITY: Balinese
DESCRIPTION: Jauk Manis Putih
CATALOG ID: ASID005
MAKER: Ida Wayan Muka (Mas Ubud, 1971- )
CEREMONY: Calonarang Dance
AGE: ca. 2000
MAIN MATERIAL: pule wood
OTHER MATERIALS: dyed silk hair; gold-plated silver; glass; abalone shell; oil paint

The Calonarang Dance, named after its main antagonist, recreates a contest between good (represented by the Barong and its followers) and evil (represented by the goddess of death, Rangda, and her followers). This specific mask represents a character type known as Jauk Manis. Jauk Manis is not a specific character but can be used to represent a variety of antagonists, such as malevolent giants, cruel kings, or hostile demons.

For more on Balinese masks, see Judy Slattum, Masks of Bali: Spirits of an Ancient Drama (San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1992).

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Užgavėnės Jew Mask

TITLE: Užgavėnės Jew Mask
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Europe
COUNTRY: Lithuania
SUBREGION: Vilnius
ETHNICITY: Lithuanian
DESCRIPTION: Jew (Judėjas) Mask
CATALOG ID: EULT001
MAKER: Padare K. Cleminis (Vilnius)
CEREMONY: Užgavėnės (Carnival)
AGE: 2007
MAIN MATERIAL: wood
OTHER MATERIALS: plant fiber; leather; copper; copper coin; wire; deer antler; dye

Užgavėnės is the Lithuanian festival held before Lent, much like Carnival in other parts of Europe and, also like Carnival, originating in pre-Christian animist rituals. It begins the night before Ash Wednesday, when an effigy representing Winter (Morė) is cast onto a bonfire. In addition, a fight is staged between a character personifying winter (Lašininis) and a character personifying spring (Kanapinis). Obviously, spring prevails.  Masqueraders dance and parade in costumes representing devils, witches, animals, the Grim Reaper, and other characters.

An unfortunate aspect of the celebration is that popular characters include racist stereotypes of Jews and Roma peoples (“Gypsies”). This mask represents a particularly offensive portrayal of a Jew (Judėjas), with an oversized nose, money (oddly, an 1891 Russian 3 kopek coin) nailed to his cheek to represent greed, and an antler carved into the shape of a horn attached, possibly to represent a connection to the Devil. Enlightened Lithuanians have increasingly called for the abolition of traditional racist characters in Carnival.

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Volto Carnival Mask

TITLE: Volto Carnival Mask
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Europe
COUNTRY: Italy
SUBREGION: Venice
ETHNICITY: Italian
DESCRIPTION: Volto (plain face) mask with brown and gold schacchi design
CATALOG ID: EUIT015
MAKER: Carta Alta, Venice
CEREMONY: Carnival
AGE: 1988
MAIN MATERIAL: paper maché
OTHER MATERIALS: paint; ribbon

The volto (“face”) is a classic Venetian Carnival mask that covers the entire face for maximum anonymity. The lack of an opening, like the bauta mask, makes it appear more natural but less functional, as the masquerader must remove the mask for eating and drinking, and speaking is obstructed by the lack of a mouth opening.

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Fasnet “Sepp” Mask

TITLE: Fasnet “Sepp” Mask
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Europe
COUNTRY: Germany
SUBREGION: Oberammergau
ETHNICITY: Swabian
DESCRIPTION: “Sepp” Character Mask
CATALOG ID: EUDE002
MAKER: Josef-Christian Albl (Oberammergau, 1955- )
CEREMONY: Fasnet (Carnival)
AGE: 2012
MAIN MATERIAL: linden wood
OTHER MATERIALS: paint

In many parts of Swabia and Bavaria, Carnival (usually called Fasnet, Fastnet, or Fasnacht in this region of Germany) is celebrated with parades of masked clowns (Narren).  The clown parade (Narrenlaufen, Narrensprung or Narrenzunft) is organized by guilds, all members of which wear similar kinds of costumes and masks.  Each town has its own guilds, with some overlap in styles of Narro.  Their purpose is to usher in the spring with joy and laughter.

Some carnival masks are not part of Narro guilds, but are unique to the individual wearing them.  This specific mask was made by master carver Josef Albl, who traces his remarkable family history of wood carvers back to 1556.  It represents a character invented by Albl with a slightly comical expression.

Regrettably, the best texts on Carnival in Bavaria and Swabia are still available in German only: Heinz Wintermantel’s Hoorig, hoorig isch die Katz (Würzburg: Konrad Theiss, 1978) and Dick Eckert’s Die Werdenfelser Fasnacht und ihre Larven (Volk Verlag München, 2015).

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Fasnet Fratz

TITLE: Fasnet Fratz
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Europe
COUNTRY: Germany
SUBREGION: Swabia
ETHNICITY: Swabian
DESCRIPTION: Schuttig Fratz (rascal) mask
CATALOG ID: EUDE015
MAKER: Unknown maker in Elzach
CEREMONY: Fasnet (Carnival)
AGE: 1960s-1970s
MAIN MATERIAL: wood
OTHER MATERIALS: paint; leather straps and hardware

In many parts of Swabia and Bavaria, Carnival (usually called Fasnet or Fastnet in this region of Germany) is celebrated with parades of masked clowns (Narren).  The clown parade (Narrenlaufen, Narrensprung or Narrenzunft) is organized by guilds, all members of which wear similar kinds of costumes and masks.  Each town has its own guilds, with some overlap in styles of Narro.  Their purpose is to usher in the spring with joy and laughter.

Carnival in Elzach extends back at least to 1530 century, and uses a variety of traditional masks, or larve, such as the longnose (Langnase), fox (Grfrisse), and devil (Teufel).  This specific mask, representing the classic Fratz, meaning rascal or brat, who may appear in brown or black and wears a brightly-colored costume with a large triangular hat, often decorated with snail shells.

Regrettably, the best texts on Carnival in Bavaria and Swabia are still available in German only: Heinz Wintermantel’s Hoorig, hoorig isch die Katz (Würzburg: Konrad Theiss, 1978) and Dick Eckert’s Die Werdenfelser Fasnacht und ihre Larven (Volk Verlag München, 2015).

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Carnival Character

TITLE: Carnival Character
GENERAL REGION: Latin America
COUNTRY: Guatemala
SUBREGION: Unknown
ETHNICITY: Mayan
DESCRIPTION: Wood Carnival character mask
CATALOG ID: LAGT031
MAKER: Unknown
CEREMONY: Carnival
AGE: 1950s
MAIN MATERIAL: hardwood
OTHER MATERIALS: paint

The Carnival is celebrated throughout Guatemala with masks having religious, historical, and political themes, but masks representing animals or poking fun at prominent villagers are also common.  This mask, skillfully carved from hardwood in the 1950s to represent a furious bearded man, uses subtle paints in a style very uncommon in Guatemala. It is unknown whether the maker was targeting a specific individual or merely trying to provoke laughs by the contrast between the angry character and the merry atmosphere of Carnival.

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Diablesa

TITLE: Diablesa Mask
TYPE: face mask
GENERAL REGION: Latin America
COUNTRY: Bolivia
SUBREGION: Oruro
ETHNICITY: Quechua and Aymara
DESCRIPTION: Diablesa (female devil) mask
CATALOG ID: LABO006
MAKER: Unknown
CEREMONY: Carnival (La Diablada)
AGE: 1970s
MAIN MATERIAL: tin sheet
OTHER MATERIALS: paint; polyester fibers; foam rubber

The Diablada (Dance of the Devils) is an annual ceremony in several towns in the Altiplano region of Bolivia, Peru, and northern Chile, usually incorporated into Carnival.  The dance includes both male and female devils dancing in a group led by the Archangel Michael.

This mask represents a diablesa (female devil), made from recycled tin, spray painted and hand finished. The costume of the diablesa in Oruro is usually elaborately decorated and somewhat revealing, although the character may be danced by a man or a woman.

For more on Bolivian masquerade, see Peter McFarren ed., Masks of the Bolivian Andes (La Paz: Editorial Quipus/Banco Mercantil SA, 1993).

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