Balinese Barong Mask – The Nelson South East Asia Collection

Balinese Barong Mask (Rangda)

Masked performance in Bali is strongly rooted in the indigenous belief system, integrating animism and ancestor worship, which had evolved long before the arrival of Hinduism on the island. It was within this belief system that the Balinese developed rituals utilizing images in the form of statues, puppets, and masks. The main purpose of ritual is to gather the power and souls of living things, and to invite ancestral spirits of the upper world to descend to the middle world. The Balinese strongly believe that with the protection of these souls and spirits from the invisible world (niskala) they will be able to live peacefully in this real world (sekala). Dance is one of the primary ritual means of achieving this.

Barong is probably the most well known dance. It is also a story telling dance, narrating the fight between good and evil. This dance is the classic example of Balinese way of performing mythology, resulting in myth and history being blended into one reality.

The story of the dance is that Rangda, the mother of Erlangga, the King of Bali in the tenth century, was condemned by Erlangga's father because she practiced black magic. After she became a widow, she summoned all the evil spirits in the jungle, the leaks and the demons, to come after Erlangga. A fight occurred, but she and her black magic troops were too strong that Erlangga had to ask for the help
of Barong. Barong came with Erlangga's soldiers, and fight ensued. Rangda casted a spell that made Erlangga soldiers all wanted to kill themselves, pointing their poisoned keris into their own stomachs and chests. Barong casted a spell that turned their body resistant to the sharp keris. At the end, Barong won, and Rangda ran away.

The masks of Barong and Rangda are considered sacred items, and before they are brought out, a priest must be present to offer blessings by sprinkling them with holy water taken from Mount Agung, and offerrings must be presented.

Image: Wood, pigment; 35 x 26 x 14cm.