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My father thought I'd be the most sought-after object
 The
sand beach along the coast South-West is interrupted in several places
by charming smaller bays, and Ambalangoda is such a place which is
little over 53 miles from Colombo. It has an extremely lively town
centre for the still thriving form of South-West coast folk art.
Ambalangoda excels in mask carving and folk dancing. The two are
inextricably linked. In Sri Lanka, right down the ages humble villagers
living close to nature have been turning out objects of utility and
aesthetic delight using indigenous materials. There is an excellent
range of wood in Sri Lanka and objects both of utility and artistic
value are turned out by craftsmen using mahogany satinwood, teak,
rosewood and a host of other timber materials.
 My
father was neither a beautician nor a plastic surgeon. But he came from
a family of talented wood carvers. He would be at his work sitting with
his hammer and chisel creating beautiful faces, works of art on wood
called mask. So my father worked hard to produce hand-made objects such
as masks. Without any schooling at all, my father was confident that
very soon, I'll be the most sought-after object in town. Expert
craftsmen tattooed exquisite oriental designs in colour on my face. The
colours, patterns and stylised animal and bird motifs were used on my
face.
After many designs neatly painted, a coating of lacquer is put on to
give a bright and smoother texture.
An excellent range of masks of artistic value were turned out by
expert craftsmen. There are two distinct types of masks in Lanka - those
worn for ritualistic ceremonies and those
 for
folk drama. The Naga Mask (snake mask) is large with cobra hoods spread
out above the demon's bulging eyes. The Devil mask gives the appearance
of a devil with huge teeth jutting out, bulging eyes, dishevelled hair
play an important role to drive away the demons who interfere with the
relationship between the sick person and his or her social environment
causing illness.
By now, I have grown up for some strange reasons to enjoy and
participate in these ritualistic ceremonies. It is usually dark before
the beat of the drums of the devil, dancers begins. Here in the dark,
the howling masked figures leaping with their flaming torches achieve
their full dramatic effect to the beat of the drums.
Nominally, a devil dance is a magical ritual which aims to banish the
demons of pain and expel them. If a sick person does not get better
after either Ayurvedic (traditional homoeopathic treatment using herbal
medicines) or Western medicine, the 'sanni yakuma' is performed as a
form of ritual healing through exorcism.
I feel proud and happy that I bring surprise and joy and add
freshness and natural grace to the decorative, dramatic and ritual
aspects at ceremonies and occasions.
- Tissa Hewavitarane |
