> Cyber Museum > What is a Mask   The representative mask play in Indonesia is Topeng handed down in Java, Bali, etc. Besides, a mask play in Bali called Jauk occurred in the 18th century, dramatizing the story of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Another mask play in Bali is Wayang Wong that dramatized Ramayana. ‘Wayang Topeng’ came from mask dance that began from shamanistic burial ceremonies and coming-of-age celebrations in Java. Through the stage of a mask play called ‘King Wayang’ in the 12th century, it was established in the late 18th century. King Wayang originally dramatized Indian epics <Ramayana> and <Mahabharata> but spontaneous mask plays emerged, dramatizing the story of Panzi, a legend in Java, from the 14th century. Wayang means a shadow (ghost), which in turn represents ancestors' spirit. Topeng is a wooden mask that plays the role of an important person in the story. King Wayang was a play performed in Court but Wayang Topeng was spread among the people. Wayang Topeng that developed among common people was generally performed by those who manipulated Wayang dolls and became a commercial mask play before the independence of the country. Performers earned their living by performing in public places like streets and markets.   Barong, a lion dance in Bali, Indonesia, is based on a legend called Caronarang. In the legend, an old witch Rangda represents evil, manipulating evil spirits and she-devils haunting at tombs and raising plagues at villages. Barong is an imaginary animal that interrupts what witch Rangda's does. Barong is a spiritual beast, into which Saint Empu Baradah who mastered spiritual arts transformed himself. The magical power of Rangda and Barong is materialized through masks. Rangda has two projecting cuspids, wide-open eyes, a long red tongue hanging down out of the mouth, human intestines around the neck and long white hair running down to the knees. As in Bukcheong Saja Nori, two persons get inside the body of the lion in Barong. The eyes are wide-open and sharp, the face is burning red, and the whole body is covered with golden hair with small mirrors that reflect light even at slight movements, which display the spiritual power of Barong. The mask of Barong is the mixture of a lion and a dragon. Concerning this, some scholars maintain that Barong was imported later while witch Rangda was indigenous to Bali and that the concept of dragon was possibly introduced from China and combined with the lion dance.