Saturday, 22 March 2014 00:05
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By Cheranka Mendis
The sun filters in through the leaves as we continue a small uphill climb towards the hut where wooden logs were brought to life as intriguing wooden masks for the first time in the little village called Oloboduwa in Horana.
This is where the story started for the villagers who are now part of the ‘Horana tradition’. They are craftsman who painstakingly draw and carve out mesmerising traditional masks, bringing them to life in vibrant hues of blue and red and yellow. Their faces are lined with wrinkles, their hands callused and old, but they still continue the tradition bestowed on them by Nadha Gurunnanse five generations ago.
The start of a new tradition
When Nadha Gurunnanse arrived in Oloboduwa after a visit to Ambalangoda, he came back with a specialised wealth of knowledge in mask carvings. Starting on his own, he soon spread his learning with the rest of the village, choosing to teach a few interested parties and creating employment through artistry, bringing about change to the usual farming and agriculture in which the villagers were previously engaged.
Remembered as an active person even when age caught up with him by those who commemorate him and give thanks to him for bringing in culture and art to the sleepy village, Nadha Gurunnanse is said to have initially produced masks for specific ritual healings (shanthikarma) – a popular method of curing sickness and bringing about peace and wellbeing to the people.
Today, while most of the local handicrafts are fighting for survival in an increasingly-modernised world, Gurunnanse’s fifth generation descendents are continuing the tradition, adamant to keep it going for as long as they can.
The fifth generation
Rupananda and Thilakarathne Oloboduwa are brothers and are Gurunnanse’s fifth generation descendants. When we visited their house last month, Thilakarathne was in India partaking in a craft exhibition.
Rupananda joining the Weekend FT for a quick chat amidst his carvings acknowledged that they have been engaged in the craft professionally for some 40 years. “We grew up learning this,” he said. “Every day after school we used to come and help my father. This craft has been passed on from my grandfather to my father and now to us. My grandfather learnt this from his father and so on. This is why we are adamant to keep going.”
The hut where the masks are being made is right next to the house. “It is easier this way. Whenever we have time we engage in this.” The two brothers have help from two other locals when orders increase. “We cut for Rs. 20,000-30,0000 a month. It is not much, but this is what we know to do.”
Low income and less interest
The low income generated and the uncertainty of the business is what is keeping more people from joining in, Rupananda added. “When Nada Gurunnanse came back to the village after learning the craft from Ambalangoda, he is said to have trained some 30 to 40 people. My father and his father have trained equal numbers.” However not many are actively engaged in it anymore.
When times are tough, the brothers even take to performing at tourist guest hotels in Beruwala and Kalutara areas adorned in masks. “We have awards and certificates, but nothing else.”
The masks
Even though Gurunnanse started with masks for ritual healings, they now craft masks for plays, theatres and decoration (wall hangings, etc.) as well, with the decorative masks being sold to a few shops and to the National Craft Council.
Rupananda explained that Naga-raksha and Gurulu masks are the most demanded for thovils and plays while Gara munu are made for decorative purposes.
Sixth generation
Rupananda is unmarried but his brother has three daughters, he said, when asked about the next generation taking up the business. “The eldest and the youngest are married and are not very keen on this,” said Siriwathi, Thilakarathne’s wife, joining the conversation. Her second one however is gifted, she said, and applies herself to mask carvings whenever she finds time.
Her daughter who is 24 years old is the typical ‘artsy’ type, she said. “She can dance beautifully and is in the civil band as well. When she is home, she joins us at the hut to help us out. She is good at both carving as well as painting.”
In most families engaged in mask carvings, those who paint are separate from those who carve and rarely do they do both.
Marrying into the life of a craftsman
Siriwathi, married to Thilakarathne for some 30 years, is the painter in the group. All the faces lined up on the shed have been coloured by her. However, she was not born into it like her husband. “I have been painting masks ever since I married my husband. He was one of the rare men who could excel in both carving and painting and I learnt the art from him.”
Using lacquer paint she brings life to the wooden masks lined up for painting. It takes her close to two three months to paint the larger masks as she has to balance this work with household chores.
Giving us insight into the process, she noted that the paint brushes used for painting are different from what artists use on canvas or paper. For example the thinnest brushes used to draw the lines are made out of cat hair.
“The bristles of these brushes are made from the hairs plucked from the spinal area of a cat. This is because the lines we have to paint within the designs are so delicate that we need something really soft and thin.”
In parting, she added: “This is our life now. I believe this is what we are meant to do. We will continue this until we can’t lift our fingers.”
Pix by Daminda Harsha Perera
