Copper Mask of Victory

The Copper Mask of Victory was a ceremonial KanohiKanohiMasks that grant powers and sustain life, they're the most vital artifact in the Matoran Universe. with no powers. It was first awarded to champions of the sport of akiliniAkiliniAkilini was the official sport of Metru Nui, in which Matoran surfed on Kanoka disks and threw others through scoring hoops, with tournaments held on the shifting floor of the Coliseum. in Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive., and the Toa MetruToa Metru and Toa HordikaSix Matoran elevated by Lhikan to save their city, mutated by Visorak venom, and restored in time to deliver the population to safety. later brought the masks to Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years., where they were given to the champions of the villages' games. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

Origin in Metru Nui#

The Copper Mask of Victory started in Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive., where it was awarded to akiliniAkiliniAkilini was the official sport of Metru Nui, in which Matoran surfed on Kanoka disks and threw others through scoring hoops, with tournaments held on the shifting floor of the Coliseum. champions, who wore it. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

The mask copied the shape of a known mask type, but it had no power of its own. It was a mark of victory, not a tool. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

Form and material#

The masks were forged in a copper colour, in the shapes of the Noble HunaHunaThe Kanohi Huna granted full invisibility to its wearer, with the limitation that the user's shadow remained visible and detectable., the Mask of Concealment, and the Noble Komau, the Mask of Mind Control. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

Associated games and competitors#

On Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years., the masks went to the champions of the koro's games and contests. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

The full list of winners isn't recorded, but HafuHafuHafu was a Po-Matoran Carver of Po-Koro, recognized as a Master Carver, who served in the Chronicler's Company and survived the Reign of Shadows. and HewkiiHewkiiHewkii rose from Po-Metru Matoran to Mata Nui's foremost kolhii player, then served as Toa Inika and Toa Mahri through the late wars of the universe., the Po-Koro kolhii players, are both named as having won Copper Masks of Victory. (BIONICLE: Mask of Light novelisation)

Decline of the tradition#

The fall of Metru NuiMetru NuiThe city beneath Mata Nui functions as the Great Spirit's brain, housing the Matoran whose labor keeps the god alive. didn't end the tradition. When the Toa Metru brought the Matoran to Mata NuiMata Nui (Location)An island created by accident on the Great Spirit's face, home to the Matoran for a thousand years., they brought the copper masks too, and the villages kept awarding them. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated)

The masks did come under threat on the island. During the Matoran's long struggle against Makuta, TeridaxTeridaxTeridax orchestrated a thousand-year scheme that ended with him occupying the Great Spirit Robot itself before his death on Bara Magna. had his infected RahiRahiThe Rahi were the biomechanical wildlife of the Matoran Universe, built largely by the Brotherhood of Makuta, ranging from background fauna to engineered war beasts. steal and hide the copper masks in an attempt to crush the Matoran's morale. (BIONICLE 3: Triumph of the Toa)

Significance#

The Copper Mask of Victory stood apart from most masks in the story. Where Kanohi usually meant power, the copper masks marked something ordinary: being the best at a game. That Teridax bothered to steal them shows how much they meant to the Matoran. (BIONICLE: Encyclopedia Updated; BIONICLE 3: Triumph of the Toa)