Masks

Mask. Dan Ivory Coast. Wood. 28 cm high.

Man’s basic concern for his vitality and to ensure or increase fertility underlies many rituals and ceremonies in Africa in which masks along with music and dance have a decisive role. Whatever is involved: thanking benevolent spirits for a rich harvest, calling the water spirits indispensable for timely rain, or dispersing the spirits or souls of the dead – it is the masks which by their activity will mobilize the spirits. A mask’s activity, the effort, movement and talent of its wearer, will determine its degree of success.

Ritual mask – Ji-wara. Bambara, Mali. Wood. 37 x 75 cm

Aside from the religious, masks have an important social role. In some communities, such as the Dan and Gere peoples, they are exclusively socio-religious and replace in large part the ancestral and other figures found among others. Masks are important in dealing out justice, in collecting taxes, in waging and stopping war. They are protection, too, for fishermen, hunters, blacksmiths and travelers. Masks are essential to many cults and to their various ranks; they can be charged with the responsibility for certain ceremonials, for keeping order, good-neighbor relations, for the right upbringing of children and preparing them for initiation rites, for calling adults to account.

Masks are symbols of the wisdom of the spirits, their positive and negative powers. The incredible variety of ideas and purposes attached to masks has resulted in the great diversity of the artistry typical of different peoples. Differences in mask styles reflect differences in outlook, myths, and the collective consciousness of the narrower and broader community. But they also reflect the vision of the individual artist inspired by his surroundings and his tribe’s mythology.

Mask – kanaga. Dogon, Mali. Dyed wood. 80 cm high.		Mask – satimbe. Dogon, Mali. Dyed wood. 101 cm high.		Ritual mask – Ji-wara. Bambara, Mali. Wood. 100 cm high.		Mask – Ntomo. Bambara, Mali. Wood and cowrie shells. 60 cm high.