IV. Kamoro masks: the snout-shaped masks

These masks, called - mamakoro of mamokoro - are found in the central Kamoro region and the western coastal area. These masks are used during the Kaware feast or the prow feast during which woodcarvers are trained, and canoes are built.

Only a short while ago, in 1997 in Paripi village, David Pickell and Kal Muller - the latter being the main organiser of the Kamoro Art Festival - invited local people to hold a Kaware feast. This request was probably connected with the idea of observing the feast and subsequently to write about it. ^[34]
It appears that the mask's main role is to guide the feast in the right direction. The mask functions as initiator of the various stages of the Kaware feast.
In a first phase, he calls upon the aid of the spirits of prominent dead people. The spirit of the casuarina tree, Mamakoro, symbolising the building of canoes, is also evoked. In this form, the mask selects the woodcarvers to make the intended canoe.
In a subsequent stage, the mask enters the village, producing rather fearful reactions among the women and children. Here, the mask emphasises important aspects of Kamoro etiquette, such as the division of food and the principal of reciprocity (aopao). ^[35]
Later, the mask also portrays day-to-day activities such as fishing, and hunting, and the collection of sago. The mask also consecrates the new pirogues, by climbing into them and dancing.

Apoko Tapuma, a sand bank in the estuary of the Ipirawea River. Galus Mauria, on the left, is seen wearing the mbi-kao as a dancer, and (right) is followed by other dancers. (Photos: Kal Muller. Pickell and Muller 2001:211,210)

The dancing villagers and the masked dancer finally meet on the bank, and the exuberance ceases when the mask wearer buries his dance staff, signalling the end of the ceremony. ^[36]

Mbii-kawanè

A major part of the Kaware feast is the Mbii-kawanè ^[37], a masquerade honouring recently deceased persons of high status, represented by masked men. This kind of representation of prominent dead people by means of masquerades is a duty, reserved entirely for the wives, sisters and daughters of the dead.

Mbii-kawane, literally 'spirit platform', is a concept indicating a platform upon which the Kamoro carry out the ceremony. The first to take their places on the platform are the deceased's female relatives, smeared with clay as a sign of mourning. Women and children are only permitted to see the masks during this particular ceremony, since at other times the masks are so dangerous that sickness and even death may follow upon an infringement of this prohibition.
The importance of inspiring fear is made clear in the myth of Kamoro origins, in which the fear caused by the two brothers, Aoweao and Mbiiminarejao, is mentioned several times. ^[38]

The women dance round the platform to the sound of the drum. The degree of kinship with the deceased can be seen in the energy invested in their dancing. With the arrival of the masks, the women vacate the platform, after which excitement increases since the masks do not merely portray the dead: they are the dead! The dances are remarkable for the dancers' sudden movements, and the sound made by their sago-palm-leaf costumes. The shouting of the older men emphasises the grandeur of the performance. ^[39] When the mask wearers sit down on the platform, they praise the deceased, while their masked performance demonstrates that the tasks of the dead continue. With this, the ghosts of the dead may depart this world with confidence, and begin their journey to the land of spirits.

<< previous        next >>