Myrtle Arnold, age 13, of Akron, Ohio, for her question:
WHO WERE THE FIRST TO WEAR MASKS?
A mask is a covering that disguises or protects the face. Throughout history people in almost every society have used masks.
The custom of wearing masks probably started in ancient times with animal heads worn by people. Such masks may have been used in hunting. They probably served as disguises and as magic symbols to make the hunt successful.
However, masks may have developed from the practice of marking the face with colorful designs that had magic powers. Historians aren't sure who wore the first mask.
By hiding the features of the face in the ancient days, masks prevented other people from making judgments about the wearer's personality and character. Most of these masks not only hide the identity of the wearer but supposedly also give him special powers.
Often masks represent gods or spirits.
Some masks are made of paper or are carved from wood or stone. Others are made of cloth, grass, hide, leather, metal or shell. Some masks have realistic human or animal features, but others give the wearer a grotesque appearance.
Many masks represent the art forms of a society. The masks may involve highly developed craft skills and may be painted with symbolic designs and colors.
Burial masks and death masks have had an important role in many societies. The ancient Egyptians put a personalized mask over the face of every mummy, or they made the mask part of the mummy case. The mask supposedly identified the dead person so that the wandering soul could always find its body.
Since ancient times, Chinese drama has used masks to help portray types of characters. The color of the mask plays an important part in the drama. Red represents a loyal person and white represents a cruel one.
The ancient Greeks used masks in their classical drama, which developed from religious ceremonies of earlier times. Masked singers and dancers represented gods and mythological heroes.
The masks also expressed anger, joy, love and other emotions. These masks were needed to let the audience follow the action of the play. The theaters were so large that many people could not see the facial expressions of the actors.
Also, simple amplifiers built into the masks helped carry the actor's voice a great distance.
Many Indian tribes of North America used masks in their ceremonies. Male members of False Face Society of the Iroquois Indians as an example, wore wooden masks at ceremonies held to heal the sick. The False Face performers visited villages and were often escorted by male clowns called Shuck Faces, who wore masks made of braided corn husks.
Some primitive peoples wore grotesque masks when they went to war. They believed that the appearance of these masks, which represented their gods, would frighten the enemy.