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IV. Masks Our knowledge of the meaning of Kamoro masks is incomplete, and the available information, collected at different times, is fragmentary. However, this lack of information does not lessen the impression that masks fulfil an important function in Kamoro society. They are associated with several aspects of Kamoro culture, and are intertwined with Kamoro customs and beliefs. For instance, the myth of the masks' origins also narrates the history of the Kamoro people, who emigrated from the east to the west of the region. Furthermore, the masks also function in both the world of the dead and that of the living. Here, the resurgence of life out of death is of vital importance. The masks even emphasise the importance of daily tasks, such as food collection. Even today, they retain the power and significance traditionally attributed to them, and they still play a crucial role as the coordinators of Kamoro customs. At the same time, today they also constitute a source of income. | |
