Mask Item Number: 3392/2 from the MOA: University of British Columbia
A mask depicting the anabera kolama (drum messenger), a figure in kolam popular drama. The mask is painted yellow, with red, black, and white details. Its hairline is outlined in red, and the wood above the hairline is unpainted. The mask's red-rimmed eyes protrude slightly from its face, and are shaped like half-moons. Underneath each eye is a crescent-shaped hole which allows the wearer to see. The mask's nose is prominent, with a downward curve and large, hollow nostrils. Its red mouth is open in a large, toothy smile. Forehead creases are carved into the mask, and outlined in red. Its eyebrows are painted in black. The mask has a full moustache and long beard, which are fashioned from strands of jute. The jute is knotted to a piece of string, from which it hangs. The string is tied through small holes in each of the mask's ears in order to affix the beard and moustache to the face. Some of the jute in the beard has been twisted together in order to create thicker strands. There are two small holes above the mask's ears, and one at the top of its head, but the material used to secure the mask to the wearer's face is missing.
Kolam mask. Kolam is a secular entertainment with considerable elements of social satire. It incorporates narrative, mime, dance, and music. A Kolam performance usually has four episodes the precise content of which may vary. These consist of a prelude, detailing the origin of the drama; the arrival of a royal party and dances by characters mythical, human and animal; enactment of a popular story or stories; and a purifying demon dance.
Mask depicting the Anabera kolama (drum messenger). Notable aspects of Anabera include the lengthy beard and largely toothless appearance.
The collector, Dr. Egan, wrote his doctoral thesis on healing rituals in Sri Lanka. His fieldwork was carried out in the south of Sri Lanka, in the village of Kadurupokuna, near the town of Tangalla (Hambantota District), between Sept. 1965 and Nov. 1966. His thesis documents a Sinhalese healing ritual, the Maha Sohona (or Maha Sona) Sumayama (the time when the demon Maha Sohona appears), performed on August 18, 1966, in the Berava drummer hamlet, in the village of Kadurupokuna.