Makara Mask

Mask Museum, Ambalangoda

This Kolam mask (see previous page) uses a makara arch to symbolize the Karava people, who are ethnic fisherfolk. The female figure standing under the arch can "juggle" the spheres in her hands -- they move up and down on the wires as the mask is wiggled. It is seen, on this and the following mask, that Hindu religious iconography has been coopted to serve the cultural requirements of the villagers who carve and dance the masks.

The masks displayed here are modern, carved from a soft wood that is similar to balsa wood.