Mamuthones of Mamoiada

Mamoiada, 2026

In collaboration with the ISRE (Regional Ethnographic Institute) in Nuoro, I photographed the dressing and procession of the Mamuthones of Mamoiada, a small village in the Sardinian hinterland.

The Mamuthones are the symbolic figures of the traditional Mamoiada Carnival, one of Sardinia’s oldest and most evocative rituals.

During the carnival, the Mamuthones wear heavy black wooden masks and sheepskins, and carry a series of large cowbells on their backs. They advance in a slow, rhythmic procession, jumping in unison to make the cowbells ring. Marching alongside them are the Issohadores, wearing white masks and more colorful costumes, who lead the group and throw a rope to symbolically “capture” the spectators.

This tradition, known as Mamuthones, is often interpreted as an ancient propitiatory rite linked to the agricultural cycle and fertility, although its precise origins remain a mystery.