Mask | Definition, History, Uses, & Facts - Encyclopedia Britannica

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The making of masks

Kuskokwim Yupiit maskKuskokwim Yupiit mask depicting a walrus and another creature, c. 1875; in the National Museum of the American Indian, George Gustav Heye Center, Smithsonian Institution, New York City.(more)

With few exceptions, masks of a ceremonial nature were and are made by professional artisans or noted sculptors. In societies in which masks of supernatural beings have played a significant ceremonial role, it is usually presumed that the spiritual power of the created image is strongly felt by the artist. A primary belief involved in both the conception and the rendering of these objects was and is that all organic and inorganic matter contains spiritual power and that the mask itself therefore possesses the power of whatever material was used to make it. This power is considered a volatile, active force that is surrounded by various taboos and restrictions for the protection of those handling it. In the example of ceremonial masks, certain prescribed rituals must be followed in the process of the mask’s creation. In most instances the artist’s tools too contain spiritual power, and even these must be handled in a prescribed manner.

As the form of the mask develops, it is usually believed to acquire power increasingly in its own right, and again various procedures are prescribed to protect the craftsman and to ensure the potency of the object. If all the conventions have been adhered to, the completed mask, when worn or displayed, is regarded as an object suffused with great supernatural or spirit power. In some cultures it is believed that because of the close association between the mask maker and the spirit of the mask, the artist absorbs some of its magic power. A few West African peoples believe, in fact, that the creators of masks are potentially capable of using the object’s supernatural powers to cause harm to others.

Key People: Wladyslaw Theodor Benda (Show more) Related Topics: admonitory mask festival mask life mask therapeutic mask theriomorphic mask (Show more) See all related content

mask representing the mwanapwoMask representing the mwanapwo, a mythical figure of a young woman who died. It is one of the prominent figures in masked performances by the Chokwe and related peoples in the eastern Angolan–northwestern Zambian culture area.(more)

The mask maker is enjoined to work within long-established bounds, using particular forms, traditional imagery, and formal conventions. If they are not followed, the artist can bring upon himself the severe censure of his social group and the displeasure or even wrath of the spirit power inherent in the mask. This requirement, however, does not restrict artistic expressiveness. The mask maker can and does creatively interpret the traditionally prescribed general forms, attributes, and devices. In fact, it is often precisely the artist’s known ability to give a vitally expressive or an aesthetically pleasing presentation of the required image that makes him desirable as a mask maker.

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