The original tale
When eɥukːə created the world, he decreed that life, the creation of the Gods, was sacred, and must not be harmed or killed. To some animals, the werːə (bear) and uniɥ (wolf), he extended his grace, that they may kill only so far as to feed themselves and their young. People were not granted this grace.
But the people rarely listened to their Gods, their betters, and sought to go around the will of the Gods. But their wrath would be upon any person they saw killing or hunting, and therefore, in such actions the people must hide from the Gods.
To be hidden from the Gods is no easy feat, as ifleukːə will see the face of any man in his realm, and will know him for who he is. And so one must take great pains to ensure that ifleukːə can see no part of one’s face, such that they may harm or kill another living thing without fear of consequence. Of course, if such violence is by accident or in defense, ifleukːə is an understanding God, and will forgive if repentance and sacrifice is given.
In this, a person must wear a bʷuzbːeɥ (headscarf) and a ʑʷuɦːə (mask) before committing any intentional violence. But the mask itself must serve to trick ifleukːə, into thinking that some other being is responsible, such that one can ensure they do not draw the Gods’ ire. Hence, when killing a deer, a uniɥʑʷuɦːə (wolf mask) is to be worn, and while killing a bird, a ryləʑʷuɦːə (snake mask) is to be worn: one must take great pains to pick the correct enemy of your target. New hunters may choose to don the scarf and mask right before the kill, but experienced hunters know their garments well and know how to hunt in them, and this lets them act quicker and strike on a whim, without needing to first don their clothing. The masks of a hunter, painstakingly crafted from wood from the distant forests, are often passed down through the family lines, and treated with respect and reverence.
But people were not content to hunt other animals, and disagreements between the people often led to violence among them. It is often acceptable within or between families to hurt or to kill: revenge, the breaking of an oath, or as response to a grave insult; none take great offense at a rightful killing (though a revenge killing is only permitted in retribution to an unjust death). But when killing another person, even greater pains must be taken when selecting a mask. The mask must, of course, be that of another person. Not only must that person be selected with good choice, but the mask must then be crafted in their visage. For example, for a revenge killing, one would make a visage in the mask of the murdered, a urfifːʷuwetiː ʑʷuɦːə (death mask) must be crafted and then worn during the killing, by all participating in it. Skirmishes between groups are not uncommon, and every member participating in the violence must wear a mask modeled on the face of the enemy chief, a iʃːʷunkeʑʷuɦːə (war mask).
If one is seen to have killed without a mask, all will soon know that the wrath of the gods will be upon them. All will distance themselves from this accursed person, avoid any conversation or contact, and not grant them any of their food, or let them sleep by their hearth. Even their partners and children will end all contact. Thus they will remain either scavenging behind the group till their inevitable early demise (seen as a fulfillment of the Gods’ wrath), or will leave the group to join some other.
The Evolution of masks
Long after they were originally envisioned as a means by which to sanction violence, masks continue to be common in Wajahe culture. The old style of predator masks for hunters remain, though there remains precious little wild game to hunt, and hunting as a profession exists only on the peripheries of civilization. In addition, when animal sacrifices take place by foreigners (such as in Ejee religious rites in the city of Svr) masks are always worn. Revenge killing also still employs the use of a hand-crafted mask, which is then displayed in public as a sign of familial victory (though revenge killings are now merely a formality in the execution of written law).
Battle masks, however, have significantly changed. For over 2 millennia, it has been impractical to craft masks for each skirmish one engages in - this was a tradition that arose far into Prehistory. Instead, there are now specific styles of battle masks. Their purpose is to obscure rather than trick, and they are also employed to intimidate - demonic shaped masks with bright coloring and exaggerated features are typically employed by foot soldiers, and officers wear lavender or occasionally purple stained wooden masks of a simple design so as to provide a regal expression. Battle masks cover only the top of the face, leaving everything below the nose exposed. These have been also made out of leather and sometimes studded with iron, and in this manner act as an extension of a helmet in protecting the upper face without hindering mobility or possessing a serious weight.