When I felt that inexplicable slight sensation of being watched from the corner of my eye, I turned to find myself staring at the empty eyes of the Imas Mask. Its fully-painted face had a peculiar expression, part empty, part terrified, and part mildly disapproving. The large wooden flaps protruding from either side of its had gave the impression of it having extremely large ears, although it took a second look for me to see that there were arms painted on these ears. This mental image so amused and intrigued me that I read the description near the object to find out why someone would make and display a mask of a stern little man with gigantic ears, and tiny little arms.
The Kwakwakawakw Imas mask, it said, was used in a winter ceremony, the tseka, when a deceased chief that the mask represents passes down his rights and privileges. It is said to tell the story of ancestors descending from the myth worlds as animals and transforming into humans. I could see it so clearly in my minds eye a ceremony around a bonfire, the mask in prominent display in the middle, then when the proper chanting and singing were done and the hour is nigh, a glowing ethereal apparition is seen rising from the mask to address his people one last time. Unfortunately my mind over-romanticized the ceremony as it turns out the ceremony was a dance to reenact the legend of the great ancestor that the mask represented. Nulis, that was the name of my grand ghostly apparition, he had come disguised as a bear and had even vanquished a two-headed serpent. The protrusion at the top of the masks head resembled that of an animal, it must the bear, Nuliss emblem. The tiny arms painted on either side were raised up, at first I thought this was a gesture of supplication, or maybe worship but why would such a great and legendary chief such as Nulis make either gesture This must be a gesture of blessing then, raising his arms to bestow his rights and privileges to his worthy descendants.
The paper said there were at least 2 other Imas masks of the great Nulis, all of them with the same painted face, the animal head at the top, and the gigantic ears. As I looked closely at the picture of the other Nulis mask I realized they were not ears at all, but possibly the outlines of a mans face. Why did Nulis have two other faces Did that mean that he could see all, or that he had two other forms Or maybe they represent the two-headed serpent the holder of the Nulis name defeated in the legend but they are clearly human outlines so that is not the most logical explanation. And as I thought about it, if the mask was used at the start of tseka when the ancestor is said to return one last time, why were there more than one mask Was the mask worn by someone of authority to take role of the ancestor in the ceremony, or was my imagination of ghosts and ancient magic a possibility The little holes that serve as the masks stare back at me, the painted lips perpetually pulled to the side in what now looks to me like disappointment it has no answers for me.
The Kwakwakawakw Imas mask, it said, was used in a winter ceremony, the tseka, when a deceased chief that the mask represents passes down his rights and privileges. It is said to tell the story of ancestors descending from the myth worlds as animals and transforming into humans. I could see it so clearly in my minds eye a ceremony around a bonfire, the mask in prominent display in the middle, then when the proper chanting and singing were done and the hour is nigh, a glowing ethereal apparition is seen rising from the mask to address his people one last time. Unfortunately my mind over-romanticized the ceremony as it turns out the ceremony was a dance to reenact the legend of the great ancestor that the mask represented. Nulis, that was the name of my grand ghostly apparition, he had come disguised as a bear and had even vanquished a two-headed serpent. The protrusion at the top of the masks head resembled that of an animal, it must the bear, Nuliss emblem. The tiny arms painted on either side were raised up, at first I thought this was a gesture of supplication, or maybe worship but why would such a great and legendary chief such as Nulis make either gesture This must be a gesture of blessing then, raising his arms to bestow his rights and privileges to his worthy descendants.
The paper said there were at least 2 other Imas masks of the great Nulis, all of them with the same painted face, the animal head at the top, and the gigantic ears. As I looked closely at the picture of the other Nulis mask I realized they were not ears at all, but possibly the outlines of a mans face. Why did Nulis have two other faces Did that mean that he could see all, or that he had two other forms Or maybe they represent the two-headed serpent the holder of the Nulis name defeated in the legend but they are clearly human outlines so that is not the most logical explanation. And as I thought about it, if the mask was used at the start of tseka when the ancestor is said to return one last time, why were there more than one mask Was the mask worn by someone of authority to take role of the ancestor in the ceremony, or was my imagination of ghosts and ancient magic a possibility The little holes that serve as the masks stare back at me, the painted lips perpetually pulled to the side in what now looks to me like disappointment it has no answers for me.
No comments:
Post a Comment