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Some ceremonies feature demon-like beings like the Ceremony of Mariwin. During the ritual, masked beings administer corporal punishment to children and women who have misbehaved. To the Matis, these masked beings represent “Ancestral Spirits”, yet are non human, unable to talk, only making animal-like sounds. During Mariwin, the Matis decorate their bodies with leaves, clay or charcoal. Some adult women are whipped. Even an infant is playfully whipped. Woman and children rather than man are the primary recipients of discipline. However, the whole ceremony doesn’t seem to be taken too seriously by the participants

Film Copyright © Dan James Pantone, USA
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(Editing of the clips with the kind authorization of Dan James Pantone)