Rituals and drama in Sri Lanka
The masks in this exhibition belong to two different Sri Lankan mask traditions found within popular Sinhalese Buddhism. Kolam Natima is an old form of mask theatre with ritual aspects. Sanni Yakuma is a ritual offering to the demon Maha Kola Sanni and his ‘gang’. Both performances have elements of drama.
The masks give life to different aspects of human existence. Through masks people can meet and relate to beings that are not usually visible or approachable. Demons, gods, and royalty become part of village life for a time, and take the scene together with local stereotypes.
These rituals concern the great mysteries of the human experience: The meaning of life, death, and cosmos.
Kolam Natima is linked with fertility and new life, Sanni Yakuma to healing. Both Kolam Natima and Sanni Yakuma are performed in an open area in the village and traditionally last from sunset until dawn. Before the performances can begin, the area must be marked out and decorated with geometrical patterns made of fresh palm, banana stems and leaves.
The masks are made of wood from the Kaduru-tree. This wood is light, strong, and easy to cut. Mask-carving is a long established tradition in the Ambalangoda area, in south-west Sri Lanka. The Wijesuriya family has been carving masks for at least five generations. They have made the new Sanni masks in this exhibition. Today they run the Ambalangoda mask museum. The Kolam masks bought by the Ethnographic museum in Oslo in 1885 may also have been made by this family.
