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Handmade Wooden Mask - Tribal Woman (C)

ABOUT
Characters larger than life... retelling the stories of good & evil... expression speaking volumes... with emotions painted in colors.... each mask has a uniqueness of its own... decorate your living spaces with these masks to usher the good forces into your life...

  • Rs.600

Availability: 2

Product Code: 3322-WM22-14

Made/ Mkt. By: Gaatha

Box- L.W.H | Wgt:15 x 15 x 15cm | 500g

The ecstatic Gomira dance masks of Dinajpur district have ensued from animistic practices of the Desi and Poli communities of the Rajbangshis. The Gomira dances or Mukhakhel are organized to propitiate the deity to usher in the 'good forces' and drive out the 'evil force' during the harvesting season. Every village of reasonable size, say a thousand inhabitants, has its own Gomira dance troupe. The dancers are all male, without exception, and portray one or many characters, male, female or animal. All the characters are larger than life.



The masks are devised to reach the vastness. It needs extra effort to dance, while wearing the heavy masks made of wood. It makes the dance fearsome to the audience. Traditionally, the Gomira dance starts with the entry of two characters Bura-Buri, who are actually the human forms of Shiva and Parvati. The dancers become frenzied due to the extra efforts they have to put in. The audience believes it is due to the super natural spirit that enters the body of the dancer.




Apart from the ritualistic purpose this dance performance is also a source of joy and gaiety for the villagers. During 1970s, the villagers planned to perform the masked dance based on the story of Ramayana which can be performed at any time of the year. Ramer Bonobas was written, character masks of Ram, Lakshman, Sita, Ravana, Surpanakha, Marich, Jatayu were made. The play attracted the art connoisseurs. Apart from traditional masks the craftsmen also make different show pieces like mermaid, boat, smaller masks and other innovative works like fridge magnet, key rings and jewelleries.




Initially logs are bought and cut at saw mill. Cross sectional cutting is done by the craftspersons. The chunk of wood is split with machines in blocks of 3-4 ft in height. The basic form emerges first with the use of the Banshla, followed by emphasis on facial features. Traditionally the woods are immersed in water for 15-20 days to make it soft but now this is not generally practised to save time.




Once the basic shape has emerged, they use the broad chisel and heaviest hammer to bring out the final shape. As the work progresses, the narrower chisels and lighter hammers are used. Once the front of the mask is complete except for finer finishing, the reverse side of the mask, where the face of the wearer is expected to fit, is scooped out very carefully. The router chisels are used to gouge out cavities such as the opening of the mouth and eyes. If the mask is to be used for the purpose of dancing, only then the eyes, mouth etc are hollowed out.



The final procedure involves fine chiseling of the entire mask. Once the mask is complete, then comes finishing. Artists smoothen the mask by using sand papers of various grades. Next, the mask gets a coat or two of varnish, which provides smoothness to the mask and ensures durability. They use both natural and chemical colours. Natural colour is made out of Basatbait. The fruit is dried and powdered. The powder is mixed with water and boiled and then mixed with soda. Many customers want the pristine shape with only varnish.

The masks started its journey from village dance performances to the urban drawing room and with time have become delectable pieces of decoration for any public or private space.

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Images and Text by ~ https://ruralcrafthub.com/
Craftsmen
Made by Parmesh Sarkar
Village Kushmandi
Returns and Exchange
Note The products in this category are non refundable. Refund is only applicable in case of defect or damage.
Material
Made of Wood (Hook behind to hang)
Instruction
About Sizes 4" x 2.5" inch (Approx because piece is hand crafted)
Note As each piece is hand crafted and unique, expect some variation from shown design.

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I first ordered one brass kitchen set and other home decor products from Gaatha and the quality was extremely good. Thank you Gaatha

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I just received my two scarfs. I love them, so beautiful. Now I know where to order my Christmas gifts. Thank you very much.

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Everytime I buy a saree from you guys, everyone keeps asking me where I get them from. It makes for a great gift as well... so creative and artistic, fabrics feel great

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So delighted to find the Gaatha shop filled with a treasure trove of handcrafted products! The shopping experience was smooth and I received the Ajrakh saree that I had ordered in less than a week. Loved the saree and look forward to more shopping with you. God bless

Kalpana Padhi Das

I received my saree today. The folks at Gaatha were very responsive when I had some questions before placing the order. The saree is absolutely beautiful! In fact it is so much more pretty in person. The cotton is soft to touch and drapes likes a dream. Very pleased with my purchase!

Meenu Devrani

I have always had profound love for Indian handicraft and I have decorated my house with such items which is when I first found Gaatha and have been coming back to them since. Very responsive and the quality is always amazing

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