Kholula Circumcision Mask

They are the masks of the initiates. They are large masks bordered by a sort of raffia beard with a high headdress on which figures or animals appear.

The period of initiation of the boys from 10 to 15 years lasts from one to three years and takes place in a place in the sacred forest, away from the village, in several phases throughout the year, during which the boys stay in the forest separated from their families. They receive very diverse teachings, from the knowledge of their rites and traditions, the history of their people to the knowledge of plants, astros and medicinal plants especially, without forgetting their songs and their dances. The end of initiation is always a cause for rejoicing and celebration. It's one of the big occasions where the masks appear. Among them the most important that the initiates can wear is the large Kholuka mask, which only participates in the last phase of the initiation highlighting the completion of the internment. It is a showy mask surrounded by a large beard of raffia, on the head stands out a pointed hat with, sometimes, diverse characters related to one of the teachings received, sex or cosmogony, for example.

This mask is covered by a pointed cap topped by a character, sitting on one of the platforms that divide the mask headdress into various levels characteristic of this category of masks, with the apparent sex as a symbol of masculinity.