MIRROR MASK OF A NATION and culture

Ethnic Mask
Ethnic mask is a mask made by the tribes people with no or little influenced by the Hindu culture or other outside cultures. These masks are generally made of materials plants. Sometimes combined with other materials, such as bones, feathers, animal skins and others. The function of this mask is for ceremonial purposes with regard to spirits or creatures described the outside world or the supernatural.
Not all ethnic communities in Indonesia have a mask of this kind, some are still known in the community Batak, Dayak, Sepik (East Irian) and others. Did not rule out a lot of people who have this kind of mask, but because there were many changes in so many masks of this kind is extinct.
Karo Batak ethnic masks called toping or masks in the Toba Batak language. Toping used by teachers or a kind of shaman who danced in the burial ceremony of one of the people who died. They wear clothes like a long robe with long sleeves that cover the entire hand. In addition there are masks in the Karo Batak language called easel or in a language called Toba Batak-Hoda Hoda, namely the head masks depicting animals such as horses or birds sometimes. Horse and bird is a symbol of the supreme god and there is the assumption that the nobles are descended from this god.
Dayak tribes one Apo Kayan Dayak in Central Kalimantan also have ethnic masks called hudo. Face mask depicts a bird-like creature. Hudo used in the rice-planting ceremony, it is also used to expel evil spirits and invite the good spirits. Hudo also used for ceremonial rites of initiation of the birth of a baby, a few months later, a ceremony was held off the ground, then cut teeth ceremony, wedding ceremonies and others, or so-called life cycle ceremonies.
Tribes in Irian (Papua) have made a simple mask, for example, people who live in Humboldt Bay, they make a mask with woven rattan is very smooth and dense, made with very high expertise. This mask is used for funerals.
Sepik tribes who lived on the north coast of East New Guinea, the mask-mask is made from plant material. This mask is used to summon the spirits who were asked by the public's help to eliminate or prevent the disaster facing the problem.
In the ethnic indigenous people of Jakarta (Batavia) ethnic masks called ondel-ondel, now serves to mask the great hostess or wedding ceremony and others. On the north coast of Subang (West Java) have similar mask-ondel ondel functioning exorcise.
Performing Mask
Understanding the show here is the performance of a play or story is seen by many people. Story or play is used to show, usually taken from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata or the Panji stories. Some are taking the story / play is like a mask that tells pajegan Gelgel royal state, Klungkung, Bali. Other performances are reog Ponorogo (East Java), the story ranges from about stories that are wandering looking banner missing wife. One mask is called Bujangga Nom or Bujangga Nyong Bujangga means young. Although at times the show is now rarely wore masks supernatural powers, but the show this reog mystical element involved.
Performing other magical elements are also found in Bali, such as Barong dance. There are two dance barong, barong with two legs that is called a barong Landung, while the quadruped called a barong or barong ket Synthesizer. The theme of the story is a fight between Rangda (he is an evil sorceress) and Barong.
In Bali is also known to mask the five that are considered less holy, so that it can be played at the temple which is less pure, it can even be played outside the temple. This performance is only as sheer entertainment, the story took Loka royal history. Performing this kind in addition to existing masks in Bali, also in Java and other areas such as college students. In the present time there are also so-called contemporary mask performance, as is often exhibited by Didi Nini Towok dance artists. In this show the artist free to express himself, his story may well describe the current situation, his famous works is the mask of "Dwi Front." So, hopefully mask the arts remain sustainable and not extinct.