Introduction | English text version | Poetics
of Ramakian | Murals from the Ramakian | Khon Masks of Thailand |
| Characters in the Ramakian | Ramayana (Cartoon version) | Thai Puppets |
"KHON MASKS OF THAILAND"
The heads of the Teachers in the Ceremony of Paying Respect to the Teachers.
Click the picture to enlarge
|The Khon Drama||The Khon Masks||Demon Masks|
|Celestial and Human Masks||Costumes||Conclusion||Bibliography|
The Khon Masks
Mary Lou Robertson
(M.A., Anthropology, NIU)IntroductionKhon masks comprise part of the costume of performers of the classical dance-drama of Thailand. The dance-drama is also known as "Khon." A Khon performance involves singing, dancing, acting, acrobatics, and music. Stories for the drama are based exclusively on the Ramakien, the Thai version of an Indian epic. The following paragraphs will elaborate on the masks, the types and symbolism, and various aspects of the Khon drama.
The Khon DramaAs was mentioned earlier, the Khon drama, commonly called the "masked-play," involves singing, dancing, acting, acrobatics, and music. The singing is accomplished by an offstage chorus which also recites the narrative and dialogues. The majority of actors are-unable to do this because of the masks they wear. Some forms of the masked-play, probably older forms, did not use singing. Most performances today, however, do use it.Traditionally, performers in the masked-play were men only; men played all the female roles. Supposedly, this had to do with the fact that the masked-play was performed inside the court exclusively. Therefore, the only available female dancers would have been members of the King's personal harem. Obviously, the King did not want his personal harem associating with men (Brandon 1967, p.63). Because men were the only performers involved, a very rough and vigorous style of dancing and acro- batics developed. Actors must start training at an early age. The early stages of training are akin to gymnastic training (Vajiravudh 1967, p.8). Although at times much muscular exer- tion is required, the dancing is still very graceful and expres- sive. Actors must learn the gesture language of the dance. Certain hand gestures and body movements indicate different emotions or responses. In recent times, changes have occurred and women are now playing the female parts,Music for a masked-play is provided by a "piphat" orchestra. The major instruments of the orchestra include xylophone type instruments, gongs, drums, and oboe-sounding instruments. The audience at the masked-play can usually tell what is happening on stage by the music which is being played. Musical passages are rigidly fixed and symbolize specific events (Bowers 1956., P-137).Traditionally, Khon dramas were performed at the court for special occasions, i.e. weddings, funerals, births, etc. On rare occasions, there were open-air performances which the public could attend. With the change to a constitutional monarchy in 1932, royal support for Khon performances declined. However, the Department of Fine Arts in Bangkok has revived the tradition and has been staging public performances for a number of years.
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The Khon Masks Link to pictures of Khon MasksWith the setting established, a discussion of the masks may follow. The various masks are the distinguishing features of Khon drama. H.H. Prince Dhaninivat and Dhanit Yupho state:
The mask is perhaps the most important characteristic of the Khon, for through it more than any other agency one distinguishes the variety of roles (Bridhyakorn and Yupho 1962, p.12).Originally, masks were worn by all performers except those play- ing the parts of goddesses, female humans, and some female de- mons. Today, those playing the parts of gods and male humans have discarded the masks but still wear crowns. Demons, monkeys, and animals all still wear masks.Maskmaking is an art still being practiced today in much the same manner as it was years ago. It must be a very exact process since many masks appear identical except for a few small details. (The following description is taken primarily from Van Beck 1980, P.42.) The artist starts with a plaster mold to which fifteen layers of papier-mache are added. The paper used is a special kind called "koi." It is the same type of paper which Buddha's teachings were written upon for temple manuscripts. The glue used for the papier-mache is made of rice flour. After the mask has dried, it is cut off the mold and additional layers of papier-mache are added to cover the cut. A resin from a sumac tree, lac, is then formed into strips and applied in order to accent the mouth, ears, and eyebrows. Various highlights are then added such as tiaras and earflaps made of buffalo skins. Finally, gold leaf and fake jewels are applied to the tiara or crown and facial details are painted on. Often, the masks are not made by one indiviaual but rather, several of the artists in the workshop contribute parts. Maskmakers must also repair masks which dancers bring in.In all, there are probably two hundred to three hundred masks. They can be divided into five basic categories: demon, monkey, celestial, human, and animal masks. The most numerous and the most discussed are the demon and monkey masks. These two types can roughly be further divided into Peaked Masks and Bald Masks depending on the headdress. Therefore, there are four categories: demon and monkey Peaked Masks (Yaksha Yod and Ling Yod respectively), and demon and monkey Bald Masks (Yaksha Lon and Ling Lon respectively). Various types will be described in detail in the following paragraphs.
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Demon MasksDemon masks comprise the largest category; there are more than one hundred. Individual demons are distinguished by a number of features on the masks, for example, color, facial expressions, and crown types. Which features a particular char- acter possesses have been determined by traditions established long ago; maskmakers are not free to change them. Like other masks, demon masks are painted red, white, blue, or green, etc., with contrasting colors for highlights around the eyes, mouth, and nose. Demons may have two types of eyes, bulging or croco- dile. Bulging eyes are wide open and crocodile ones are par- tially closed. Demons may also have two types of mouths, clamp-ing or snarling. Both types of mouths display the teeth which include either curving, tusk-like canines or straight, fang- like canines. Demon masks can also display features of masks from, the other categories. For instance, Indrajit, a son of Tosakanth, has human ear flaps. Two other sons of Tosakanth have trunks fixed to their noses which reflect their parentage; they had elephantine mothers (Bridhyakorn and Yupho 1962, P.14).For demons, there are fourteen types of crowns or head- dresses.(Yupho 1960, p.10). In general, the more important characters wear crowns while the most important ones have the most e1aborate styles. Some of these styles include a crown with multiple tiers, one with a cock's tail top, or one with a gourd top. The demons with crowns fit into the Peaked Mask category and the ones without are of the Bald Mask category.The mask of the most important demon, Tosakanth, is des- cribed in detail. Tosakanth's green face is highlighted with blue and gold lines and bright red lips. He has bulging eyes with a snarling mouth and curving, tusk-like canine teeth. His crown is his most distinguishing feature. He is the only char- acter with a three tiered crown. It is also classified as a Crown of Victory. The first level is a gold leaf cap complete with jewels and flower designs. The second level contains a face identical to the mask proper. This face is repeated on all four sides and represents Tosakanth's ten faces. The top level of the crown is the face of a celestial being. Possibly, this reflects the fact that some people consider Tosakanth a descendent of Phra Phrom, the Thai name for the Hindu god Brahma (Sripochanart and Mekchaidee 1971(?) and Vajiravudh 1967, P.15). Or it could be due to the fact that, as was mentioned earlier, the Thai people do not consider Tosakanth completely evil. He is good but behaves badly at times. Before being born on the earth, he was associated with the gods in some way. At certain times during a Khon performance, a gold mask represent- ing Tosakanth is used. In his kinder moments, his canine shrinks to half the normal size. Tosakanth is a demon possessing a tremendous amount of power. Multiple body parts are usually a reflection of power. Tosakanth not only has ten faces with which he can see in every direction, but has twenty arms also. The Hindu gods are often represented with multiple body parts to indicate their power.
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Monkey MasksMonkey masks are the second most numerous type, totalling thirty to forty. Individual monkeys are also distinguished by color, facial expressions, and types of crowns. With some char- acters, the colors or the masks reflect their parentage. For example, Nilanol is an incarnation of Agni the Fire-God and is therefore red. Nilapat, on the other hand, is an incarnation of the God of Death and thus is black. Both Nilanol and Nilapat are monkey leaders (Bridhyakorn and Yupho 1962, p.16). All of the monkeys have bulging or wide open eyes, Their mouths may be either open or closed.Crowns and headdresses for the monkeys are of seven types (Yupho 1960, p.8), One type, a Peaked Mask called a "Yodbat Crorwn" and worn by Pali and Sukrip, two monkey kings, indicates high royal rank. These two kings had gods for fathers. Anotner Peaked Mask, the Yodchai Crown, is worn by Chompoopan, one of Rama's generals. Chompoopan was brought into being by Phra Isuan, the Thai name for the Hindu god Shiva. Phra Isuan or Shiva is considered the chief of the gods among the Thai people. Chompoopan's crown, reflecting his heritage, is very tall and sharply peaked, very similar to Rama's crown. Bald Masks are the most abundant of the monkey masks. They are divided into four different types and each type is worn by difterent ranks of monkey officers.Hanuman is by for the most important monkey. Therefore, his mask will be described in detail. Hanuman's mask has many features which indicate he is a monkey with very special powers. In the Ramakien, Hanuman is Rama's most trusted general. In fact, some scholars say Hanuman is at times more important than Rama (Bowie 1960, p. 212 and Desai 1969, p.127). Hanuman's white mask is highlighted in green and pink. He wears only a coronet so red and gold markings are evident on the top of his head. Hanuman's gaping mouth displays his canine teeth which are usually just features of the demons. His gaping mouth also makes visible the jewel in the roof of his mouth. The jewel is a symbol of his special powers. Hanuman is the son of the God of Wind and can thus fly through the air. Also, when Hanuman yawns, he exhales suns, moons, and stars. This is the magical power by which people recognize Hanuman, The jewel is sometimes referred to as a "glass canine" thus, Hanuman has five canines. Another symbol of Hanuman's special power is the jewel between his eyebrows. This symbol appears on statues of the Buddha and represents inner energy. Possibly it means the same with re- gards to Hanuman.
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Celestial and Human MasksAlthough masks of gods and humans are usually no longer worn, they are still being made. The following is a possible explanation for this phenomena. First, a Khon performance must be preceeded by a special ceremony in which the gods are recog- nized. If this is not done, misfortune may come to the perform- ers. The celestial masks may be used in this ceremony. Second- ly, the masks may be made in order to sell both to Thai people and to tourists.Celestial and human masks are much simpler in design than the demon and monkey masks. They are more refined in appearance also, especially the representations of gods or the humans which are incarnations of gods. Coloring varies between characters as it does with all the masks. Rama is green although it is a different shade of green from the mask of Tosakanth. Phra Isuan or Shiva is white in keeping with the Hindu tradition of repre- senting Shiva covered witn ashes. Most celestial masks have closed mouths and the important deities display a jewel between their eyebrows skin to Hanuman's. Crowns also vary among char- acters but like with the other types of masks, the more important characters have more elaborate Crowns. The crowns are still worn even though the masks are not and they have remained the same. They are decorated with flowers.
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CostumesCostumes complete the outfits or the autors and actresses. The costumes which the various characters wear are the same for those of royal and non-royal rank. The dress of male humans and gods is intended to create a feeling of majesty and grace. That of the females is to give a sense of beauty and gentility. The demons'attire portrays ferocity and strength while the mon- keys' dress gives a sense of restlessness of character (Bridhya- korn and Yupho 1962, p.12). The costumes are often as colorful as the masks. In some instances, they are color coordinated with the masks. Monkeys wear coats which are intended to in- dicate fur.Although the costumes may not indicate individual characters, the weapons the actors carry may help to distinguish personali- ties. For example, Hanuman carries a trident and Indrajit, the demon son of Tosakanth, carries a bow and arrow (Yupho 1960, p.10 and 16). If this is still not enough to distinguish in- dividual characters, the audience may take comfort in the fact that performers appearing very similar in masks and costumes are never on stage at the same time (Yupho 1960, p.16).
ConclusionWhy would an Indian epics religious in nature, and a dance- drama based on this epic become so popular in a country with Buddhist beliefs? The answer to this question may be sought in part by looking into the origins of Khon.The traditional date established for the beginning of Thai classical dance is 1431. This is the time when the Thai captured Angkor, the Cambodian capital, and kidnapped the Khmer royal dance troupe (Brandon 1967, p.63). However, records from prior periods in history were lost during the sack of the Thai capi- tal in 1767, so it is possible that dance forms existed before this date. Khon is known to have existed in the Bangkok per- iod, beginning in the eighteenth century, and was most likely prevalent before this time. What may be said with confidence is that both Khon and Nang Yai, a type of puppet play based on the Ramakien and believed to be the forerunner of Khon, existed during a period in history when kings all over Southeast Asia were intentionally adopting Indian ideas on how to run a govern- ment. Indian religious ideas were especially popular because the kings could then equate themselves with the gods and thus legitimize their rule. The Ramayana was popular because the kings could equate themselves with Rama, a prince who was an incarnation of a god. Performances of Khon and Nang Yai were therefore visual representations of this fact and thus served as continual reminders to the king's subjects that he was some- one to be respected. The fact that the Thai people altered the story to become more Thai in character emphasized the Thai king' association with the gods even more.
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