Why Mask Making? “People often seem puzzled by my enthusiasm, even after I remind them of the rich mask making traditions of peoples all around the world,” she begins. Charlotte Whiteley has been making masks her entire life. “Ever since I was a kid I was passionate about theater, performance arts, costumes and especially masks,” she continues. When asked how she began making masks to begin with, she goes on to explain that she is a member of the Samish Indian Nation and that she was raised around fascinating mask-making traditions and astonishing theatrical performances, songs and dances. “This is part of how I was raised and I feel a close affinity with these traditions,” she explains. She reiterates that most cultures do have mask-making traditions, “from Spain to Russia, China to Hawaii, Peru to the Carribean to Inuvik.” Charlotte says that she has always taken interest in mask-making traditions not only in her area, but everywhere around the world. Because of that, it was only natural for her to come across the traditions of Cajun Mardi Gras and its connections with the French, Spanish and Portugese costumes. She goes on to explain the connection to the Caretos Bragança - a Celtic Portugese celebration and notice the similarities in their costumes to those of the Cajun Mardi Gras. She points out the strong connection of the timing, themes and design of materials. “I love the whole story, the idea, the tradition and the topsy-turvy nature of the whole thing,” she explains.
Traditions and Roots Charlotte believes that the traditions, holidays and celebrations brought by various Catholic people who have traveled the world have only enriched the traditions and she explains that she has been fortunate to travel and study the masks worn in various cultural celebrations. This includes Mardi Gras, Carnival and Carnevale, along with the multitude of other festivals that are celebrated during and around the time of Lent in the Catholic calendar. “My interest in the business of theater started early - I created a small theater, wrote and directed plays, built sets and costumes, and coerced the neighborhood kids into selling tickets to their parents,” says Charlotte. She expands, explaining that a couple of years ago, she found that her mask-making skills were in demand, mostly for Halloween celebrations. That is when it occurred to her that she could branch out and sell her masks online all around the world. This is how her business was born. Charlotte was inspired to expand on to other platforms such as Amazon, Ebay, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook and her personal website. Charlotte expresses that she did this as, “a thing that’s called ‘social media marketing,’ which is what I learned I must do to make a living doing what I love.”
The Process When questioned about the time and effort it takes to make a mask such as one that could be used in a Cajun Mardi Gras celebration, she provided a bit of wisdom. She explained that she despises ever feeling rushed to do anything and therefore, she believes the best way to deal with a deadline is to work backwards from when it needs to be done. “So if you want to learn French before you’re thirty, start now,” she jokes. She explains that she always calculates in a few days for sickness, accidents and mishaps, a day or two for shopping and shipping, “and then you realize you need to make six a day for the next 12 days to get them done in time.” Charlotte also firmly believes that if you want to be taken seriously as a creator, you must take yourself seriously, “therefore, I spend way too much time trying to do everything,” she says. “I seriously, really love masks and always have. I’ve taught workshops, and set up elaborate parties and events in order to get photos of people wearing my masks. I am just really into it. Possibly that’s the part-Native heritage, or possibly it's the part Anglo heritage. Who knows? Maybe it’s just ‘me,’” she concludes.
The Facts:
The meaning for masks during Mardi Gras is to disguise in order to express community and trust through that community despite not knowing who you might be interacting with (Sawin, 176).
It is commonly felt that the traditions of various Mardi Gras celebrations are becoming degraded as younger generations do not understand reasoning behind the celebration (Sawin, 176).
Children and young people are often messed with by people wearing masks, challenging them to grow up and become less fearful of beings behind the masks (Sawin, 185).
Historically, during a courir, it has been common for a Mardi Gras or two to become angry when someone refused to donate money or ingredients to the gumbo, this led to a reason for revenge and yet another excuse to wear a mask (Sawin, 186).
Another proven reason for the masks is the fun behind it. People enjoy engaging in the guessing game of who's who in these masks (Sawin, 187).
Generally, masks tend to be something used to scare others or intimidate them. In these celebrations, however, they are used for quite the opposite. The idea is that one should feel threatened or afraid of another who is masked and interacting with them but doesn't because there is a sense of trust within the community (Sawin, 193).