What are traditional African masks made of?
Masks have been an important part of traditional animist beliefs in many African cultures for thousand of years. Made of leaves, straw, wood and textile, the masks symbolise the worship of ancestors and spirits. They play an important role during commemorations of rites and the cycle of life.
What is the meaning behind African masks?
The artistry of African masks is self evident but, for the people who create them, they have a much deeper meaning than surface beauty. In general, the mask form is a physical mechanism to initiate transformation whereby the wearer takes on a new entity, allowing him to have influence on the spirits to whom he is appealing to or offering thanks.
Where do African masks come from?
This African mask has its origin in Cameroon. This particular type of cover is created in honour of the king and prominent chiefs. The masks are decorated with colourful beads, which are symbols of great wisdom while the cowry shells portray wealth.
Why did the African people wear the African mask?
The traditional African mask is worn during celebrations, dances and festivities and ritual ceremonies commemorating social and religious events. They play a very significant spiritual and functional role in the community and often there is no distinction between social recreation and ritual celebration.
Why are African masks stylized?
Masks are highly stylized because African cultures distinguish between outer look of something and its essence. These masks are made to represent an abstract subject, which explains stylization.
What does a mask represent?
Mask representing values can also be of human shape. Mask representing calmness and patience has half-closed eyes, one having small mouth and eyes represents humility while mask that represents wisdom has a wide bulging forehead. Mask with a large chin represents power and strength.
What does a mask with a large chin represent?
Mask with a large chin represents power and strength. One more theme for African masks is female face made by ideal of feminine beauty. While masks of some tribes have breasts and ornamental scars some other have almond shaped eyes, curved eyelashes, thin chin and ornaments.
What animals are represented by masks?
The most common animals that are represented with masks are buffalo, hyena, hawk, crocodile and antelope. Antelope is one of the most widely used animal masks. It symbolizes agriculture and is worn to enable better crops.
What is a mask dance?
Mask is worn by a dancer that then becomes “bearer” of the spirit of the mask, a sort of a medium between the tribe and a spirit. This trance-like state is accomplished with a specific music and a dance. Ceremonies as weddings, initiation rites and funerals have a masked dance.
What is a female mask?
Wearing of these female masks is reserved for men in most cases. Masks that represent ancestors are most commonly shaped as a human skull. They are used in various ceremonies as witnesses, dead ancestral protectors from which approval is asked or as subjects to whom respects are paid.
What are the characteristics of African culture?
It is believed that the earliest masks were used in Africa before Paleolithic era. They represent spirits of animals or ancestors, mythological heroes, moral values or a form of honoring of a person in a symbolic way.
What is the history of African masks?
Home / Uncategorized / The History of African Masks You May Have Never Heard Of. Masks were an important part of the tradition of different African tribes. These masks were associated with different kinds of rituals and ceremonies and were an integral part of the tribal culture.
Why are African masks important?
Significance of African Masks. The African masks are generally used to represent the spirit of ancestors, deities and mythological creatures. Masks are worn during different ceremonies by dancers to represent these spirits and deities.
Why are mask ceremonies not held?
Although mask ceremonies are celebrated in today’s times, they are not held as frequently as it used to be in olden times. Loss of tribal identity is the main reason behind the decline in popularity of mask ceremonies. The history and meanings associated with different types of African masks are given below.
Why did the Fang wear the Ngil mask?
People from the ‘Fang’ tribe used to wear the Ngil Mask. This mask was used to initiate new members into the male secret society. Along with initiation, the persecution of wrongdoers was also carried out during such ceremonies. The Fang people indulged into hunting and agriculture.
What is the speciality of the Coon Mask?
Specialty of the Coon Mask is that it is hand-painted. • Nowadays, the ceremonies associated with masks are not followed with the same fervor and enthusiasm as in olden times. The influence of different cultures, colonialism, civil wars, slave trade, etc. have altered the social fabric of Africa.
What is the mask of the Mitsogo?
The Mitsogo Mask is characterized by a whitened face. The mouth, ears and nose are colored reddish-brown. The Mitsogo people to whom this mask belongs come from the mountainous regions of central Gabon. Ancestors of the Mitsogo people were the residents of northern Gabon.
What are African masks made of?
Quick Fact! The African masks are made of wood. The piece of wood used for making a mask is first allowed to dry. If the wood cracks, it is not considered suitable for making masks. A tool called ‘azde’ is used for sculpting the wooden masks. The history of African masks can be traced back to Paleolithic times.
What is the history of African masks?
Traditional African Mask History (With Images) | Paxton Visuals. The use of African masks in rituals and ceremonies is one of the main characteristics of African peoples ‘ culture. It is believed that before the Paleolithic era, the earliest masks were used in Africa.
What is the African mask art style?
Animals are often the African mask art style. These depict an animal’s spirit, and one that wears the mask becomes the animal itself that makes contact with that creature, such as telling animals to stay away from the village. An animal is a sign of virtue in other instances.
Why is the African Mask Maker considered a family art?
The African Mask maker has one of the higher ranks in the village because he is thought to have contact with a spirit world, and making masks is a family art.
What animals are represented by masks?
The most common animals that are represented with masks are buffalo, hyena, hawk, crocodile, and antelope. Antelope is one of the animal masks that are most commonly used. This symbolizes agriculture and is worn to make better crops possible.
What is a Japanese mask?
Traditional Japanese Masks. Mask is worn by a dancer who becomes a “bearer” of the mask’s spirit, a kind of medium between both the tribe and a spirit. With particular music and dance, this trance-like experience is achieved. Celebrations such as marriages, rites of initiation, and funerals have an African masked dance.
What does a mask with a chin mean?
Mask with a prominent chin reflects strength and power. For African masks, one more trend is the female face rendered by feminine beauty ideal. While some tribes ‘ masks have breasts and ornamental bruises, some have almond-shaped eyes, long eyelashes, slender chin, and jewelry.
What is the history of the African mask?
Member Content Rating: The creation and history of the African Mask is one steeped in meaning and tradition. The art of carving the African mask was often taught to young men who were apprenticed to master carvers. In other cases, the art of making masks and sculptures to be used in spiritual ceremonies was passed down in families ...
What does the African mask represent?
African Masks often represent a spirit and it is strongly believed that the spirit of the ancestors possesses the wearer. Ritual ceremonies generally depict deities, spirits of ancestors, mythological beings, good and or evil, the dead, animal spirits, and other beings believed to have power over humanity.
What is the meaning of the Punu mask?
A Punu mask is sometimes painted white to represent the spirits of long-dead ancestors. This celebratory African mask comes from the Ivory Coast. It features an elongated shape with wings on the side. The mouth is carved in the shape of a rectangle. Ligbi masks are used as part of Islamic holiday celebrations.
What is the shape of a Ligbi mask?
The mouth is carved in the shape of a rectangle. Ligbi masks are used as part of Islamic holiday celebrations. The Baule people carve African masks to be worn while dancing during harvest festivals. The mask’s round shape is a reminder of the Sun, the source of all life.
What is a mask of ancestors?
Masks of human ancestors or totem ancestors (beings or animals to which a clan or family traces its ancestry) are often objects of family pride; when they are regarded as the dwelling of the spirit they represent, the masks may be honored with ceremonies and gifts.
What are African masks made of?
These art objects were, and are still made of various materials, included are leather, metal, fabric and various types of wood. African Masks are considered amongst the finest creations in the art world and are highly sought after by art collectors.
Why is the African mask so special?
The remarkable thing about the African mask is that each culture has created a unique version to represent the spirit of its tribe. Today westerners appreciate the African Mask for its history, artistry, and ability to represent the owners unique taste and appreciate of diverse cultures.
What are the different types of African masks?
Common types of African masks include face masks, which fit over the front of the wearer's face; helmet masks, which fit over the entire head; and forehead masks, which work like hats that sit horizontally on top of the head with the wearer's face covered by fabric. The person wearing the mask bends over to make the mask look at others.
What culture uses masks?
The person wearing the mask bends over to make the mask look at others. Cultures with masking traditions include the Baule people who use masks in a daylong festival of dancing and celebration called goli. The Dan people create carved masks of human faces that have spiritual significance.
What is the most common mask?
The most common include face masks that fit on the front of the face , often resembling a human or animal; helmet masks, which fit over the wearer's whole head like a helmet; and forehead masks, which work like hats that sit horizontally on top of the head with the wearer's face covered by fabric.
Where do the Baule masks come from?
Baule Masks. The Baule people are a farming culture from the Ivory Coast in West Africa. They use masks in a daylong festival of dancing and celebration called goli. The tradition developed after 1910, adapted from neighboring cultures. The festival uses four kinds of masks.
Where do the Kuba masks live?
Kuba Masks. The Kuba people live in densely forested regions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They use three kinds of royal masks for funerals and initiation ceremonies. Sometimes, the masks are used separately, but when used together they tell the founding story of the Kuba kingdom.
Where are masks found?
This is especially true of Africa, where masks have been found dating back thousands of years. African masks are fascinating objects that can be simple or elaborate. Africa, a diverse continent that's home to many tribes or groups of people, has a rich history of making and wearing masks.
What is a helmet crest mask?
The person wearing the mask bends over to make the mask look at others. Other mask types include helmet crest masks, worn like a cap with the face visible ; headdress masks, with human or animal figures mounted to a base or ring on the wearer's head; and shoulder masks that cover the head and top of the body.
How long have African masks been around?
The existence of African masks can be traced as far back as the Stone Age. For thousands of years, African people have incorporated tribal masks into their cultural ceremonies, rituals, and celebrations. Each of these creations is designed according to the particular traditions of their region. Designs vary from modest and plain to highly elaborate in appearance.
Why are African masks important?
by Afomia Tesfaye. African masks are greatly appreciated for their artistic value. They adorn the walls of some of the most recognized museums and galleries across the world. Many of us incorporate masks into our homes to add an exotic flair to our décor, but it is important to recognize that beneath their surface beauty, ...
Why do people wear masks?
Their purpose is to enable the wearer to transform himself into the entity depicted by the mask. In essence, the wearer works in tandem with the mask during a ceremony to release its hidden power.
What are masks made of?
They finalize their creations by embellishing them with such varied materials as clay, ivory, horn, stone, feathers, and straw. Sometimes masks are made in the image of a female face which would be typically based on a particular culture’s ideal of feminine beauty.
What is the purpose of masking in African culture?
This is an effort to control the forces of good and evil by calling on the intervention and blessings of spirits to support and guide the community through such crucial life events as war preparation, crop harvesting, marriage, fertility, and burials.
Why is the mask a supernatural object?
As the mask gradually begins to take shape, the object is believed to acquire more supernatural ability. In some cultures, it is thought that this intimate relationship between the maker and his creation enables the artist himself to absorb some of its magic power. THE MASK WEARER.