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As African masks are largely appropriated by Europeans, they are widely commercialized and sold in most tourist-oriented markets and shops in Africa (as well as "ethnic" shops in the Western world). As a consequence, the traditional art of mask-making has gradually ceased to be a privileged, status-related practice, and mass production of masks ...
Masks attend to honor the deceased and to verify that the spirit of the deceased merits admission into the world of ancestors. Without a proper funeral the spirit remains near the home and causes trouble for his/her descendants. Masks are often carved of the wood of Ceiba pentandra, the faux kapokier. They are carved in three major styles that ...
In the Chokwe people of Central Africa, the chikunga is a sacred ceremonial mask. Of the many ceremonial masks, the chikunga is considered to be the most powerful, and it is only worn by the tribal chief. The chikunga mask is made by stretching barkcloth over an array of wicker bits. It then is painted black with red and white designs.
The Benin ivory mask is a miniature sculptural portrait in ivory of Idia, the first Iyoba (Queen Mother) of the 16th century Benin Empire, taking the form of a traditional African mask. [1] The masks were looted by the British from the palace of the Oba of Benin in the Benin Expedition of 1897 .
African Art Museum of the SMA Fathers at Tenafly, New Jersey: The Legend of Chi Wara. www.masksoftheworld.com: Chi Wara mask images. Library of the University of Virginia: Africa Masks exhibit. Includes images and description of one male and one female mask. Humboldt State University: gallery of Chi Wara and other Bambara dancers.
N'tomo masks are used by the Bambara people of West Africa. There are six male initiation societies that young males must pass through before becoming a man. N'tomo Dyo is the first of these through which boys pass before their circumcision. [1] [2] The mask represents the legendary ancestor of the Bambara and it is a symbol of protection. [3]
The features of the mask illustrate the group's ideal of feminine beauty. The elegant hairstyles also symbolize the importance of social cooperation, since a woman needs the help of her friends to dress her hair. [3] The Mende honor outstanding carvers of sowei masks, which are typically men, with the name Sowo Gande. According to Philips, the ...
The Woyo masks are crafted from gourds. [3] Then they are carved out of wood for use, and painted with contrasting colors. [4] The colors used had symbolic meaning and were sometimes repainted, symbolizing rebirth, or to restore the power of the mask. [4] They are also decorated with sacred objects known as nkissi. [5]