Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
A black plastic child's doll has been added to the horns to create a karan wemba, to honor a female ancestor. In the southwest masks represent animals such as antelope, bush buffalo, and various strange creatures, are painted red, white and black. In the east, around Boulsa, masks have tall posts above the face to which fiber is attached.
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 masks usually emulate a human or animal face in an abstract way. The inherent lack of realism in African masks (and African art in general) is justified by the fact that most African cultures clearly distinguish the essence of a subject from its looks, the former, rather than the latter, being the actual subject of artistic representation.
Black people in the African diaspora have traditionally used masquerade carnivals to protest oppression. [80] [35] [81] Black carnivals provide a space for African Americans to unite, free from exploitation by white Americans. Mardi Gras Indian culture is a form of Black creative resistance to the white supremacy of colonialism and represents a ...
The masks can be worn in three different ways: vertically covering the face: as helmets, encasing the entire head, and as a crest, resting upon the head, which was commonly covered by material as part of the disguise. African masks often represent a spirit and it is strongly believed that the spirit of the ancestors possesses the wearer.
Chiwara masks are categorized in three ways: horizontal, vertical, or abstract. In addition, Chiwara can be either male or female. Female Chiwara masks are denoted by the presence of a baby antelope and straight horns. Male Chiwara masks have bent horns and a phallus. The sex of a Chiwara mask is much clearer on horizontal and vertical masks ...
Similar to gle masks, miniature masks are carved to embody du tutelary spirits, but their main function is the protection of their owner from harm. [1] These masks may also be used in divination and as sacred objects upon which to swear an oath - thus ma go are treated like other sacred objects and are fed with ritual offerings and kept hidden ...
Main page; Contents; Current events; Random article; About Wikipedia; Contact us; Pages for logged out editors learn more