1916.9.175
Name and identification of character
A Sanni demon called riri yaka (Sin.). Riri means blood, riri yaka is a blood sucking demon.
Context
Stage one in a Sanni ritual.
Material
Wood, vel-kaduru (Sin.) (Nux vomica).
Iconography
This is a small mask referred to as a käta muna (Sin). The face represents a monkey. The carvers designate it as vali muna (Sin.) (vali means monkey). The bloodthirsty nature of the demon is expressed by means of a few iconographic details. The lips are red, suggesting a bloodstained mouth.
Comments on the Umlauff Catalogue
The identification of the mask as depicting a vädda is incorrect.
2000 10 01
Dr. M. H. Goonatilleka