February 5th,
2003
A
gift to the Spurlock Museum from Professor John Garvey, the barong
ket is the most recent addition to the East Asia, Southeast Asia,
and Oceania Gallery. The barong comes from the Island of Bali
in Indonesia. It is a dragon-like
figure that is featured in theatrical
performances
done during temple festivals. The barong’s dance is carried
out as a form of protection for the village, cleansing it of dangerous
influences, and maintaining or returning it to prized cosmological
order and balance. |
Side view of
the barong ket
|
Barong ket face and mask |
The barong
can wear several different masks, each representative of a different
animal or mythical creature.
The
museum's barong, the barong ket, wears the most important and most
commonly found mask, bearing the image of a lion or tiger. It
is a consecrated barong face mask used for temple festivals
and believed
to have
great
supernatural
powers.
At the most important
annual festival on Bali, Galungan, which celebrates the creation
of the world by the supreme being and the
victory of good over evil, barongs receive special offerings. There
are some two dozen barong and Rangda dance troupes on Bali which
perform several forms of the dance.
|
