Behind Masks

from HistoryOfMasks.net

Masks are used for different reasons and can be divided into masks that are used for ritual reasons, for protection, disguise and entertainment.

Masks used for ritual reasons are probably the oldest. They appeared all over the world and, although they have similarities, they differ greatly. African masks are carved of wood and decorated, and represent ancestors, animals (real and mythical) or people they are intended to honor. They are used in tribal dance rituals for connecting with spirits of ancestors or totem animals. In Oceania, they are used during activities of tribal secret societies while 6-meter high masks are used as a protection of evil spirits. In North America, Inuit groups and woodland tribes use so-called “False faces” for shamanic rituals of healing. In Ancient Egypt mask were used as death masks that depicted face of a deceased one so the soul could recognize the body and return to it. Priests of Ancient Egypt also used masks that represented gods in rituals so they could embody their gods on Earth. In China, shamanic masks were used to thank the gods and as a protection from evil spirits. They were also used in ceremonies of wedding, birth and death.

Masks for entertainment are used in theatre, opera and during carnivals and celebrations. Theatric masks were used in Ancient Greece. They were made out of organic materials: wood, leather or cork and had brass megaphone, where the mouth is, that would amplify voice of the actors so it could be heard. Chinese masks for opera were panted with specific color code that was in connection with the attributes of the character. In Indonesia, Topeng dancers wear masks while they interpret stories with their dance. In Korea, masks were used in theatric plays that were sharp social commentary. Every year, Venice holds a Carnival that is characteristic by its masks. Venice masks originate from the time in which, to have basic human freedoms, you had to wear a mask. Now masks are used for entertainment.

In some cases, it is difficult to draw a strict line between ritual use and use of masks in entertainment.

Some theatric uses have a ritual as well and vice versa.

Good examples of masks for disguise are masks in the time of Republic of Venice. In that time, Venice had very strict class hierarchy. People tried to avoid it by wearing stylish masks and with them hide, not so much their identity but their place in society and intermingle between classes. Today masks for disguise, beside for carnivals and parties, are used by the army for camouflage, by criminals while perpetrating a crime, by protesters and other.

Protective masks are used to protect face from physical danger. They were used on helmets of knights in wars and on police helmets with riot gears. Gas masks are used as a protection from dangerous gases. In medicine oxygen masks are used to deliver oxygen to the patients and surgical masks to prevent exchange of infections between a doctor and a patient. Many sports use protective masks like hockey, paintball and fencing.

Heavy, metal masks were, in the older times, used as a method of punishment and shaming. • Ancient Greek’s masks that were used in theater had brass megaphones, where the mouth of mask is, to amplify what actors are talking. • Duk-duk and tubuan masks of New Guinea were used to intimidate other members of the tribe and enforce social codes. • “Moretta muta”, an oval mask that women wear for

Carnival in Venice has no straps to be fastened to the head. Instead, it has a button on the inner side that is held in the mouth and with that mask is held to the face. • A star of Topeng dance from Indonesia can have 30 to 40 masks that are for his use only. No one else can use those masks because it is believed that it will offend spirits that reside in them. When Topang dancer dies, masks that he used are never moved from the place where they were at the moment of his death. • Famous “Medico della peste”, mask of Carnival in

Venice is not a traditional mask used in carnival. It was introduced in the 20th century when the carnival was brought back after it was banned. • Ancient Egyptian death masks were made so the soul can recognize the body as well as help the deceased to be accepted by other divine immortals in the afterlife. • In Chinese opera all masks are color coded and every color describes personality of the character that mask represents. That way audience get better and faster picture about characters and their relationships. • In African tribes, mask wearing is reserved mostly for men. Even wearing of masks that represent female beauty. • Japanese theater Noh masks are made with such a skill that they can convey different emotions with expressions depending on angle in which mask is seen or on the light that falls on the mask -without moving parts. • After the end of Topeng dance, custom is that one of the jesters, that did storytelling, must rush into the crow, grab a child and take it behind the curtain.

There, a child would be given candies to share with his friends. • In Korea, mask dances were methods of entertainment but also an opportunity for satire and social commentary. • In wars and fights, masks were not only for protecting the face but also, if made for that purpose, methods of intimidating the enemy. That method is still used for some protective masks in some sports like hockey. • Masks were also used as methods of punishment or shaming as a punishment.