TITLE: Moryonan (Moriones) Mask and Breastplate
TYPE: helmet mask; costume
GENERAL REGION: Asia
COUNTRY: Philippines
SUBREGION: Marinduque
ETHNICITY: Filipino (Tagalog)
DESCRIPTION: Moryonan mask and matching breastplate decorated with tangala
CATALOG ID: ASPH003
MAKER: Mask: Renato Morales Sr. (Mogpog, 1942-2018); Helmet and Breastplate: Jerónimo Nagutom (Mogpog, 1968- )
CEREMONY: Moryonan Festival
AGE: 1987
MAIN MATERIAL: wood
OTHER MATERIALS: tangala (coconut stems); coconut shell; adhesive; vegetable fiber; cotton cloth; foam rubber; plastic helmet strap
Every year during Holy Week, Catholic inhabitants of the island of Marinduque stage a passion play in which some dress as Roman soldiers and Syrian mercenaries who persecute and ultimately crucify a man playing the role of Jesus to expiate the town’s sins. The soldiers, or Moryonan (usually called Moriones in the media) wear wood and fiber helmet masks in imitation of the Roman legionary’s galea. Some masks and costumes are made with very creative materials, such as consumer product boxes, beer cans, or organic materials. This mask and breastplate are decorated with the dried stems and shells of a coconut fruit and was worn by Abel Livelo (Mogpog, 1967- ) from 1987 until about 2015.
