Mun Masks
The Mun people, a sub-group of the Yao living primarily in northern Vietnam and southern China, are one of the few SE Asian tribal peoples who use masks in their ceremonies. The masks are worn only by the Shi Gong priests in ceremonies designed to protect hunters and people going on long trips (including going into the afterlife) and are often decorated with animal hair and colored paper strips for each ceremony.
Mask still covered by the paper from its previous ceremony.
According to Jess Pouret in The Yao (Art Media Resources, Chicago, 2002), very little research has been done on the pre-Taoist millennia-old traditions from which these masks were born, and he bemoans the fact that their usage is being abandoned as this part of the world modernizes.
Mun mask with Buddha spike, goat fur facial hair and aluminum foil eyes.
“Above the Fray” is fortunate to have collected a unique sample of mid-20th century Mun Masks; several are still decorated with animal hair and/or colored paper from their last ceremonial use. They are powerful and haunting reminders of the need for spiritual protection in this complex and desultory world.