Audio tour Masks from all over the world

MASKS: BETWEEN UNIVERSALITY AND DIVERSITY

DEFINITION

One particular feature of the mask is its universality. Also, it has been used since prehis- tory. Etymologically speaking, the term masca is supposed to be derived from ancient Italian languages and to stand for ”hideous and evil being”. It could also come from the Arabic word makhara (mashara) meaning “to falsify” or ”to metamorphose”. Later on, the word probably entered the Arabic language in the form of msr. The use of the terms maschera in Italian, mask in English and masque in French leads to the assumption that all terms have the same origin.

The term “mask” in the narrow sense denotes an object worn on the face, on the head or fitting over the entire head and transforming its wearer’s appearance. However, this definition should be enlarged as the mask is generally not used in isolation and cannot be looked at without taking into account the costume, the accessories, the musical in- struments and the ritual accompanying it.

The mask allows the person to see without being seen and in this way gives her or him a degree of freedom which normally doesn’t exist. Wearing a mask can thus be a sort of outlet for deep emotions which otherwise are not expressed.

FUNCTIONS

The mask is used in very different profane and ritual contexts, in public or under more secret circumstances. It can represent humans, animals or hybrid beings including myth- ological animals, gods, demons, devils, heroes and ancestors.

Its functions can be social, entertaining, decorative, cathartic, magic, apotropaic, propi- tiatory, prophylactic or religious.

The rituals in which masks perform revolve around two central themes:

- the life of the individual: birth, initiation, marriage, women’s fertility, health and healing, death, end of the mourning period;

- the cycle of nature: sowing, rain, fertilization of the soil, growth, harvest, storage.

Very often the two cycles intermingle: the fertilization of the soil is associated with the women’s fertility, and the preservation of the harvest requires the same rituals as the protection of the community.
The mask can also be worn on the occasion of essentially festive and entertaining events like theatrical performances, dances, processions and urban parades.

FORMS

The mask itself occurs in a great variety of forms. We can distinguish between

- face masks, covering the face;

- helmet masks, helmet crests or hood masks, fitted over the entire head or part of it;

- headdress masks, worn on top of the head;

- belly masks, worn on the stomach.

The term “mask” can also include other elements changing the appearance of the person like the costume, make-up, tattoos, scarifications and jewelry.

The mask is a material witness of an intangible tradition which cannot be handed down exclusively through the object. Music, dance, gestures and speech and everything ac- companying the mask wearer and being a carrier of the message and the tradition must not be forgotten.

MATERIALS

There is an extremely wide range of materials used for the making of masks. We can dis- tinguish different types:

- minerals: stone, gold, silver, copper, iron, precious stone, earth, terracotta, clay etc.;

- plant materials: leaves, wood, cork, straw, dried grass, raffia, resin, bamboo, willow, fruit, vegetable etc.;

- animal materials: horn, ivory, bone, tooth, leather, skin, fur, wool, hair, wax, shell, carapace, feather etc.;

- composite materials: plastic, latex, paper, carton, glass, enamel, mirror, pearl, polystyrene etc.