Art

8 Types of Indonesian Traditional Masks

Indonesian traditional masks becomes so popular in some Indonesian regions as a part of their custom culture. There are so many types of them since every region has its typical traditional mask.

Indonesian traditional masks commonly become a part of traditional dance. Most of them bring the richest cultures of Indonesian traditional dances. Moreover, you will not find them in other countries but Indonesia.

Speaking of Indonesian traditional masks, here we have some of them on the list below. Let’s check them out!

1. Cirebon Mask

Cirebon mask becomes one of the most popular masks in Indonesia. It comes from Cirebon, West Java, which becomes part of Topeng traditional dances in West Java. As a mandatory accessory on the mask of traditional dance, it has a unique shape and color.

Cirebon mask has its history as a part of Cirebon’s culture, which represents the daily royal life of Panji story. The dance represents beautiful movements that mix with the masks as well.

Cirebon masks are commonly parted by two types of dance structures that call as the Topeng Alit and Topeng Gede. That is parted based on the number of dancers, type of music and songs, kind of Dalang, and many more.

2. Yogyakarta Mask

Yogyakarta mask becomes one of the most popular masks in Indonesia many decades ago. It becomes the main accessory of the Wayang Wong traditional dance. According to the Wayang Kulit performances, the man and women are wearing masks that are similar to Wayang Kulit’s actor.

Yogyakarta mask has a unique color and shape that represents a man’s or woman’s face. Sometimes it also pictured a monster that represents the bad actor in Wayang Wong’s dance as the biggest Indonesian traditional puppet performances.

3. Surakarta Mask

Surakarta mask becomes one of the most popular masks in Indonesia. It looks similar to the Yogyakarta mask but has a strong motive on the craving mask. For the examples, on the ornaments of mustache, Surakarta masks using a feather but Yogyakarta mask will paint it on the mask.

Surakarta mask commonly wears on the Surakarta traditional dance that calls Surakarta’s Wayang Wong dance as one of the types of Indonesian Wayang performances. The dance looks similar to Yogyakarta’s Wayang Wong performances complete with the Punakawan story.

4. Hudoq Mask

Hudoq mask becomes one of the most popular types of Indonesian traditional masks. It comes from the Borneo tribe in West Kalimantan, which becomes part of their traditional art in Hudoq traditional dance.

Hudoq masks are commonly made by steady wood that craved beautifully with the Dayak tribes’ ornaments. It represents the bad pest that they should fight over their harvest. It should wear at the Hudoq festivals as they believe the successful harvest on the next harvest time.

5. Sababuka Dayak Mask

Sababuka Dayak mask becomes one of the most popular types of Indonesian masks. It comes from the Dayak tribe as one of the famous tribes in Indonesia that exists in Central Borneo that looks similar to the Hudoq mask.

Sababuka Dayak mask is usually worn at funerals which represents sadness on a death ceremony. It was painted in a creepy face complete with sad big eyes, sharp teeth, and a long nose.

Wearing a Sababuka Dayak mask is commonly followed by the Dayak traditional dance to follow the burial process. The mask is sometimes also worn in a Tiwah of Dayaknese traditional custom culture.

6. Pajegan Mask

Pajegan mask becomes one of the most popular types of Indonesian traditional masks. It comes from the Balinese tribe which becomes an important part of their Balinese traditional dance.

Pajegan mask is commonly worn by the main actor in the dance. He has an important role as he should present all of the stories in the dance.

This dance becomes one of the important dances using a mask that is always used in a sacred ritual of Balinese custom culture.

Most Balinese Topeng traditional dance commonly wears different types of masks that represent the actors in the story of the dance. The mask commonly was handmade by some local carvers of the ethnic group in Bali that usually made traditional Balinese masks.

7. Sidakarya Mask

Sidakarya mask is a kind of Indonesian traditional mask that becomes a part of the Pajegan mask dance. The mask becomes a mandatory mask that should exist as it is connected one to another and couldn’t break easily.

Just like the Pajegan mask, the Sidakarya mask is a religious type of mask that is so important for any religious ceremony in Bali. That is why most Balinese perceived this mask as a holy mask which they commonly call a Wali.

8. Prime Ministers Mask

Bali has so many types of Topeng traditional dance that make the dancers wear masks. Prime minister’s mask becomes one of them that becomes so popular in most of Topeng dance.

Prime minister’s mask commonly made by steady woods that carved properly. It looks similar to a human face complete with an eye, nose, lips, and even mustache. Balinese believe that mask represents the pride, ambitions, cleverness, and even foolishness of human nature.

Prime minister mask is commonly worn as a Bungkulan mask, which makes the dancer has no right to speak along with their performances. The dialogue of the Sendratari will speak by the Dalang that gives an important rule on the dance.

So, some of the types of Indonesian traditional masks exist in Indonesia for decades ago. Most of them represent the richest cultures of Indonesian art which combines with custom cultures. Have you ever seen them all? Which one becomes your favorite?

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