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 DEMONS and LIONS
The Ritual Masks of Bali
With the Balinese world of the
spirits being so intermixed with the
islands everyday world, it comes as
no surprise that all of the traditional
art forms on the island have a
sacred aspect. This is especially
true in the art of mask (tapel)
making and mask performances.
18 SH ISSUE 76 2012
The general western idea of
wearing a mask is to pretend to be
someone else, but in Bali when
someone puts on a mask -
especially if it is a sacred mask -
they actually become someone
else. A sacred mask has a life force
of its own, it is considered to be
literally alive. When the performer
puts it on, the masks power enters
them and the spirit, god or goddess
the mask represents, takes over
their human body.
Masks give form to the spirit
powers and they are used in
theatrical performances not only to
entertain, but also to teach
traditional Hindu stories. Masked
dancers also have roles in
traditional planting and harvest
ceremonies and at times of
transition in the lives of individuals
and communities.
With its roots in Indian
Hinduism and Buddhism, and
mixed with the islands pre-Hindu
animistic traditions, there is a
general understanding in Balinese
culture that gods, goddesses and
spirits are in all things. This is
especially true of masks which
actively seek to represent these
individual spirit powers, and even
those for sale in tourist shops -
made in an unconsecrated
assembly-line manner - have been
known to become alive with spirits.
A member of Balis tourist ministry
explained this by saying If you
make an attractive home, someone
will want to live in it.
MAKING OFFERINGS
Balinese cosmology has the three
worlds of so many cultures the
world over. The gods and
goddesses live in the upper world,
humans live in the middle world
and demons and other
supernatural beings dwell in the
watery underworld.
 The human head is considered
the most important part of a person
and they have bulging
eyes, large, fanged
In the traditions of Bali, the
because it is the part thats closest mouths and thick noses. Leyak spirits are the most
to the upperworld and the gods Animal masks are
and goddesses - it is considered mythological rather than feared. They take the form
inappropriate to touch the heads of
little children. The feet on the other
realistic, and may look
quite similar to the masks
of long-tongued flying heads
hand, being closest to the of demons. Birds, frogs with entrails still attached,
underworld, are not so highly and cows have gaping
thought of, and because of this mouths and horrendous fangs, and are said to fly, trying to
wish to not associate with the
lower world, traditionally, babies are
and their eyes protude and stare
out with deep black pupils.
find pregnant women in order
not supposed to touch the earth for The low spirits - often called to suck their baby's blood
their first ritual 210 day-long year. demons and witches - are not
demons in the Western Christian into animals and fly. In
MAKING OFFERINGS inspired sense of the word. They normal Leyak form, they
According to Hinduism, every are not pure evil, as they have are said to have an unusually
positive, constructive principle in the the power to perform good deeds long tongue and large fangs. In
universe has an equally powerful, and are often called upon to daylight they appear as an ordinary
destructive principle to balance it. provide protection. These masks human, but at night their head and
Ideally these two principles co-exist are the largest and most grotesque entrails break loose from their
in harmony, so that neither of all of the traditional masks. body and fly.
assumes the upper hand. The Balinese people sometimes
maintaining of this equilibrium, and THE ETERNAL BATTLE attribute illness or deaths to
maintaining the proper balance In the traditions of Bali, the Leyak Leyaks. If this is suspected balian
between the three worlds is a spirits are the most feared. They (traditional healers) will go into
constant preoccupation for the take the form of long-tongued trance, and during the trance the
Balinese, who give their daily flying heads with entrails still spirit of the dead will directly or
offerings (banten) to the spirits to attached, and are said to fly, trying indirectly point to their attacker.
keep them content, and as a way to find pregnant women in order to Vengeance by the victim's relatives
to ask for blessings from them. suck their baby's blood. or family is usually advised against
Dances and masked dramas Leyaks are also said to be people however, people leave any
are considered important offerings who practice black magic, and their retribution to the spirits, and in this
too - the spirits would not wish to mistress is Rangda, queen of the way any suspicions and fears of
attend any celebration where there Leyak. She plays a prominent role in the family and relatives are
is no entertainment, and a dancer many public rituals, and her masks confirmed, but revenge upon the
makes an offering of their skills are kept in village death temples and black magician is avoided.
each time they perform. The spirits during her odalan (temple festival) The Balinese are constantly
and the ancestors are honoured she is paraded. aware of the threat of Leyaks, if a
guests at any performance. Leyak are said to haunt dog whines and whimpers on a
graveyards, feed on corpses, have moonless night, then they there is a
THE FACE OF THE MASK the power to change themselves Leyak around. It is believed that if
Masks may represent gods and
goddesses, animals, demons, or
humans and can be whole masks
or half masks depending on the
dance they are used for. They are
considered to be either sacred
objects or non-sacred objects,
depending on their purpose and
construction. Non-sacred masks
are the ones abundantly for sale in
tourist shops.
Masks are classified as either
heroes, clowns, or low spirits
according to their qualities, and
represent either humans, animals,
or demons.
Human masks can be full face or
three-quarter face (extending to the
upper lip), and can even have
movable jaws. They represent
character types rather than specific
people. Heroes and heroines are
handsome, with refined features -
matching the movements of their
dance. The coarser a character is the
more exaggerated their features are,

SH ISSUE 76 2012 19
 Leyaks are not appeased they could
even run rampant in a village causing
destruction, illness and even
epidemics, and so offerings are
made to them on a regular basis.
Barong is a protector, often lion-
like creature. He is the king of the
spirits, leader of the hosts of
good spirits, and enemy of
Rangda, the Leyak queen.
The lion Barong is one of
several different traditional
Barongs, as each region of
the island has its own
protective Barong spirit to
look after its forests and
lands. Barong Ket (the lion
Barong) is the most common,
but there are also Barong in
other forms such as a boar, a tiger,
and a dragon.
The traditional Barong dance
portrays his struggles against
Rangda, and it is a popular part of
Balinese culture. The dance ends
with the final battle between Barong
and Rangda, concluding with the
victory of Barong over Rangda.
Rangda runs away, evil is
defeated, and the celestial
order is restored.
Barong masks
which are alive and
sacred, can
only be carved
by people of
the highest
caste.
20 SH ISSUE 76
A HOUSE FOR THE SPIRIT
Masks are regarded as powerful
spirit houses, and may become
tenget (metaphysically charged).
Ritual masks are carved by
specially empowered people called
undagi tapel, and the role is often
an hereditary one. Masks are made
from specific timber, cut at specific
times, and a mask that is to be
tenget will go through specific
rituals to bring it alive (although as
was noted earlier a nice place to
live may not need rituals to make it
into a spirit house according to
Balinese tradition).
Sometimes, several masks are
made from the same tree, and
these are felt to be related to each
other. Care is taken not to damage
the tree when the wood for a mask
is cut, and when the cut is made, a
special ceremony is held for the
spirits of the tree. If these
ceremonies are not followed, a
spiritually powerful tree could use its
energy to cause destruction.
Once the wood is cut it is taken
back to a temple and the mask will
be made within that temple. There
it is left to dry out, as green wood
is said to endanger the health of
the carver. Often carving will not
begin until an auspicious day has
been calculated, then the wood
and all of the tools used to carve it
will be blessed by a temple priest,
offerings to the spirits (especially
the Sun God) will be made, and
the work will start.
Once carved the mask is
painted, and the paints that are
used are all prescribed and
considered sacred - made
especially for that mask (non-
sacred tourist masks are painted
with imported commercial paint).
The final construction task is
the fixing of things like hair -
which is often goat skin with the
hair still attached.
It is not considered at all
sacreligious to make masks for
display or sale, as they are not
alive in the same way, having not
gone through the awakening
ceremonies or been empowered by
the carving of mantras on them.
Then comes the process
of bringing the mask alive.
First the mask is
purified, as because it
sits close to the
head - which is
connected to the
upperworld - it
has to be
perfectly
pure.
Masks,
when
made,
are
inherently dirty as they have been
placed by the carvers feet as he
worked, so it is essential to remedy
this. This purification ceremony is
much more elaborate and important
than the one held before the mask
was started.
After this, ceremonies are done
to invite the spirits into the mask. If
this ceremony is to be performed
for either a Rangda or Barong mask
an additional process must be held.
In these ceremonies the mask
receives its spirit power in full view
of the villagers who live around the
temple - who must be kept at a
safe distance during the ceremony.
Ceremonies are held at night at
dark moon, on a prescribed day,
and are performed twice, once at
around six in the evening - held in
the temple; and again at midnight -
in the local cemetery.
Three villagers who practice
black and white magic serve as
conduits for the spirit, while priests
meditate in front of an altar, upon
which the newly finished mask sits
on top of a human skull. It is said
that the spirit enters the mask like
a ball of flame which does not cast
light or a shadow.
If the ceremony is successful,
then after the final midnight
session a priest wears the mask
and goes into trance, dancing or
running around the graveyard. The
graveyard is considered to be
electrified by magic and very
dangerous at this time, but the
priest is magically protected and
unharmed. The people who are
watching surround the priest and
capture him, and after they have
made offerings the priest is
released from the trance. The
priest then wraps the mask in cloth
and places it in the temple, as it
now belongs to the village and is
their protector as long as rituals
are followed to appease its spirit.
KEEPING A MASK SACRED
Sacred masks must never be
casually touched and anyone
considered unclean is never
allowed to wear one. Offerings are
made to masks on auspicious
days, such as the full and dark
moons and of course every time
the mask is worn.
A mask that is tenget may lose
some of its aliveness over time,
and may need to be recharged in a
special ceremony called pasupati.
These ceremonies can involve as
many as ten days of feasting,
together with performances of
dance and the wayang kulit
(shadow puppets), cockfights, and
processions. When completed, the
re-empowered mask will be
returned to the temple.
Sacred masks are never
displayed on walls as works of art,
but are kept in drawstring fabric
bags - the colour of the bag is
important because colour symbolism
affects the spirit of the masks.
Once encased in the bags, the
masks are placed in baskets, which
in turn are stored within the temple
complex. If a mask belongs to an
individual person, it will probably be
kept inside the family temple. Often the masks represent
Sacred masks are only Hindu gods and goddesses who,
displayed on the spirits birthday, in the ancient tales did battle with
which will be during an odalan, and each other, and as the masks are
dancers will unwrap the masks alive this fight can continue outside
when commissioned to perform at of the actual performance..
an odalan. Before an odalan, The director of an art center on
temples are dressed in colourful Bali recounted: Our priest had a
golden cloth and the images of the dream that masks must be part of
gods and goddesses are taken to the village temple, so we had them
a local holy spring to be bathed created in the proper manner.
and dressed in their best; temple Once they were brought to their
shrines are cleaned and temple home they began fighting
performances are rehearsed. with each other while they were
Only rarely is a mask uncovered inside their baskets. They created
in order to repair, repaint or regild it, so much noise and tension that
and this is never done casually, but the masks had to be separated.
in conjunction with elaborate rituals. According to the director,
although one of the masks was
MASKS AND TRANCE moved to another nearby temple, the
Trance is a frequent part of ritual two masks still fought and eventually
mask dramas, especially where the one of the masks had to be moved
subject matter is witchcraft, or the to another village altogether.
epic battles between
constructive and
destructive forces.
SH ISSUE 76 2012 21