Image: Kola-Sanniya mask
Masks are used by performers to transform themselves into specific characters that appear in curing rituals or popular entertainment. This Kola-Sanniya mask was used in Sri Lankan devil dances which operated as curing rituals. The Sinhala word 'sanniya' means disease or ailment.
Devil-dance masks are large and often carved from light wood with a protruding tongue.
- Photographer:
- Melanie Van Ollfen
- Rights:
- © Australian Museum
Additional information
From the Australian Museum Collection E19312
Purchased in 1911
Sri Lanka
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