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<p>In this article I focus on the performance practices of one of Sumatra’s little-known mask
varieties, that of sakura theater, performed in the southernmost province of Lampung.
I also draw attention to four other Sumatran mask types, namely, those used in funeral
ceremonies of the Karo Batak in North Sumatra, mak yong theater of Bintan, gobang
ritual of the Anambas islands, and mendu theater of Natuna. In order to gain a greater
understanding of the Sumatran mask images and to illuminate their use in performance,
I first trace the history of Sumatran mask design, sourcing relevant iconographical and
archeological data dating back to the migrations to the island in the Dongson era (500–
1000 bce) and the subsequent Hindu-Buddhist period (first to fourteenth centuries ce).
The masks’ facial features and their functions in Lampung personify animals, gods,
demons, and humans and resemble carvings of supernatural beings on Buddhist temple
remains throughout Sumatra. The ancestors are believed to have traveled along South
Sumatra’s and Lampung’s extensive river system to Skala Brak in West Lampung along
the southwestern Bukit Barisan mountain range, bringing with them their cultures and
artistic skills. Moreover, the later interethnic contact between southern Sumatrans and
the Benanek Dayak community in Kalimantan may have influenced the designs of the
masks, given the similarities between them in the two areas. Today Lampung sakura
masking in its various forms, dating back to the pre-Hindu-Buddhist period in Skala
Brak, takes place in mystical healing and village cleansing ceremonies, at pole-climbing
festivals, and in street processions on the Muslim feast day of Idul Fitri. As an indirect
means of affecting the people’s mindset, sakura processional performance practices and
their allure affirm the Lampung worldview. </p>
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