1916.9.22
Name and identification of character
The mask depicts a person of African ethnicity, kapiri kolama (Sin.). The mask can also be used to represent a character belonging to the Vädda-group, vädi kolam (Sin.).
Context
This is a character in the story called Kapiri Kolama (vide preface), or a minor character in the Maname Kathava/Kolama (Sin.).
Material
Wood, Vel-kaduru (Nux vomica).
Iconography
A flat mask with a plain cap painted in a greyish colour, surmounted by a crudely carved crest. The iconographic details are few. When the cap is covered with a cloth, the mask can be used to represent a person of African ethnic descent in the dance of the Kaffir couple.
18 02 2000
Dr. M. H. Goonatilleka