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IV. Kamoro masks: masked personifications of the dead Kamoro masks are worn during rituals in which the commemoration of the dead, and bidding them farewell, occupies central place. The native name for the masks reveals their function, mbii-kao: the mask-wearer represents the deceased person, since the mask itself is the outer shell (kao) of that person's spirit (mbii). Morphologically, two types of masks can be distinguished: snout-shaped masks and helmet-shaped masks. [30] The snout-shaped masks are found mainly in the western and central parts of the Kamoro region, while the helmet-shaped examples are used in the eastern region. Both types consist of a rattan framework, and an upper part covering the head. This section, made from woven fibres, can differ in form.
The second type of mask is helmet-shaped, the woven part reproduces the shape of the human head. Wooden eye ornaments, often surrounded by cassowary feathers, emphasise the eyes. This kind of mask is also crowned with a rattan rod or stick, decorated with feathers of the cockatoo and cassowary.
Only men wear these masks. During the mask's performance, the dancer wears a costume consisting of long strips of sago-palm leaves, fastened to the largest of the rattan rings in the framework.
This costume virtually covers the whole body, leaving the arms and feet exposed. The costume's sago-palm leaves emphasise the dancer's movements, giving the dance a dynamic and spectacular character. A typical feature of Kamoro dancing is the shuffling of the feet, in which the dancers bend slightly forward and move their hips in a swaying movement, to the rhythm of a drum and sometimes a gong. [31] The mask-wearer also dances in this manner, but in contrast to the other dancers, he occasionally makes rather abrupt movements to the right and left. He is closely surrounded by the other dancing men from the village, while the women prefer to watch from a distance. | |
