Ioana BĂDOCAN
Cluj-Napoca
At the ancient peoples, the mask is the representation of the spirit of the ancestor, of the totemic animal and is connected with rites of initiation, agrarian and funeral rites. The mask, by its power, imposes on the bearer his own will because it is endowed with his own individuality. Dances with masks take place in agrarian, nuptials, of initiation, or funeral rituals, the participants being both the living and the dead, both divinities and the protective htoniene spirits.
Keywords: ethnoarchaeology, mask, totemic animal, agrarian rituals, simbol