soalan yg bagus en.moskito
setiap patung dan topeng yg dibikin melambangkan hubungan rapat antara kehidupan masyarakat Org Asli dgn dunia ghaib.
Menurut kepercayaan mereka,dunia kita bnyk dipengaruhi olh kewujudan semangat2.
Jadi utk setiap semangat yg mereka ketahui,akan dibikin figura2 yg melambangkan semangat itu.
Setiap semangat mempunyai ceritanya yg tersendiri.
petikan dr buku Mah Meri Sculpture mengenai Hantu Belangkas
"According to the associated story,a very long time ago there lived a married couple who had two children.Wherever the children went they were always together,and never was there a moment they had been known to be seperated. The parents observed their children's peculiar behaviour, and one day they asked,"Why do you children,always go everywhere together?" When the children heard this,they become sulky and ran away,holding hands towards the sea. They ran into the sea and begin to swim. They were not good swimmers and every now and then they sank in the salty water. Although they knew that they would not be able to get to the shore,still they never gave up. They prayed to the Supreme Being to take them safely across the water,but their prayer were unanswered and when only half way across they were drowned.
At their meal time the parents became anxious when the children did not return home.They realised how unfeeling they had been in commenting on the behaviour of their children.The whole day was spent in tears.
That night the couple received a sign,telling them that if they wanted to see their children they should go to the seashore.Early next morning the parents hurried to the seashore and sure enough there lying on the sands was a dead body joined from the trunks upwards.
Horror stricken,the couple prayed for the children to return to life but was never to be.
It was said that in their attempt to swim across the water the children had seen the Spirit Belangkas and as a result of that they were transformed into the shape of this Spirit."
Patung2 semangat dibikin dr kayu Nyireh Batu.
Topeng2 tersebut dibikin dr kayu Pulai dan dipakai ketika upacara tarian di majlis2 perkahwinan dan majlis2 perayaan.