Traditional dance masks depict gods, demons, people or animals. The Buta Macan topeng, for example, is a tiger demon. The upper half of the mask is red, the lower half white with black dots and the fang-like teeth gold. The mask for Panji -- the hero of the ancient dance stories of the same name -- is all gold and emanates a sense of serene strength. The Pati Suanda topeng of a lesser nobleman is white with smiling red lips and decorated with black lines.
Dance masks are believed to be endowed with the spirit they represent. Dancers wearing masks transcend their own identities and adopt those of the masks. In an area of Java, Indonesia, traditional animal masks are even held over the fire in the belief that they will draw the spirits of the animals into them. The fire is also believed to bring a dancer under the power of the spirit. In Bali, Indonesia, where some masks are believed to be alive, dancers are thought to be imbued with the spirits' power.
The traditional dance dramas in which the masks are worn are based on stories of the ancient hero Panji or the epic Indian stories, the Mahabharata and Ramayana, which became a part of Indonesian culture long ago. Panji is based on the quest of the son of an Indonesian king for his lost love. Enduring battles and overcoming obstacles, he finds his love, returns homes and becomes king.
Many Indonesian dance masks come from Java and Bali, where they are produced in family workshops and range from paper mache folk to multi-layered sacred masks, which are made by master craftsmen and used in the masked dances in courts and temples. The Balinese masks are often elaborate: The makers carve the wood, under-paint it with white gesso and they apply colors over it. Metallic foil is used for accents. Once Javanese masks are carved, horsehair is used for beards and mustaches, mirrors or glass for eyes and tire rubber for ears or straps.