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Mexican Chapayeka mask Yaqui people, Sonora, Mexico 14 inches, goatskin helmet, painted wood face, cardboard crown, horse hair beard A helmet-style mask that fits over the dancer’s head. They are often made by the dancer himself and portray such things as animals, old men and lewd women. The performances of the Chapayeka (also called chapokobam, fariseos or judios) increase in intensity during Holy Week when the dancers participate in the community religious processions, acting as clowns and making fun of the liturgical activities. The Yaquis believe that through the use of these masks and mimicking evil behavior, that somehow they can collect the evil within the community. The masks are then burned at the climax, and evil is thereby banished for another year. Yaquis are forbidden to own or sell these masks, or replicas thereof, after the Easter season has passed. To do so invites calamity, according to their beliefs. It is rare to see them in collections. sold
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