Englisch | Englisch The procedure begins with circling round the chosen tree, followed by its felling; then come the handing over of gifts to the sculptor, and the marking and cutting to length of the section of tree trunk reserved for the mask. In the meanwhile, a group of young men has appeared with a grass mask. Then the block of wood is hollowed out to provide room for the bearer of the mask's head, the cheeks and beak are carved, and a slit is pierced for the eyes. Holes are burned into the neck-edge with the glowing end of a spear. Once the "horns" are made, the mask is painted and the neck collar knotted. Ears and eyes are also fitted on. Finally, a mask-dress is made with strips of bast, and the finishing touch consists in sewing the collar on to the neck-part of the mask. Right at the end, one of the two sculptors slips the mask on and makes a short appearance. |