Masks are made and widely used in traditional African cultures for many different purposes. The masks are typically worn with full costumes and accessories, and they represent a variety of entities, including deities, supernatural beings such as nature spirits, mythological characters, and ancestors. They are used in both public and private rituals, from ceremonies to initiate children into adulthood, to rituals asking for supernatural help, to rites involving community governance. Some masks are also displayed as symbols of power, authority, and social status.

The most important purpose of many African masks, however, is to teach through symbolism and theatrical performance. With their masquerades and dances, performers use the masks to teach about and reenact their history, mythology, moralistic stories, and belief systems, clarifying their social structures and ensuring the continuity of their traditions. While some African masks today continue to be made mainly for use at festivals and for entertainment, the continued making and use of these masks recalls earlier traditions, and the masks remain an essential part of preserving and passing on Africa’s rich cultural and spiritual heritage.

Benin brass hip pendants such as this one usually depict the oba, the ruler of the Benin. The ornaments shown on the mask indicate royal status, including the stylized mudfish that form a beard around the face, the five segmented rows of beads on the forehead, the beaded net on the headdress, and the beaded ornaments. In the Benin culture, mudfish are seen as powerful creatures because they can live both on land and in water; they are also associated with royalty because water is also the ream of Olokun, the god of the sea and the patron of god of royalty. The beads on the headdress represent coral beads, which are not only associated with the sea, but also with wealth and status. These elements indicate the Oba’s connection to the gods and his divine right to rule.

Pendants hip masks of the oba are worn by chiefs and high-ranking officials on the left hip, as part of their full ceremonial regalia. These ornaments signify the wearer’s rank and their fealty to the oba. Researched by Emalie Neise

PLEASE NOTE: This mask is being researched for possible repatriation.

The Kipoko mask is an Eastern Pende culture mask that represents the nurturing side of the chief and his role as an intermediary among people and between the living and the dead. The stylized and exaggerated facial features on the mask represent the qualities that a good chief should have: The eyes, the ears, and the nose are enlarged and stylized, while there is no representation of a mouth. Likewise, a good chief should pay attention and observe what his happening in his village with all of his senses, but be slow to make statements and judgments about situations, to avoid making them worse.

The Kipoko mask is worn during a ceremonial dance called the Lukongo, a dance that all men are required to learn during their initiations into adulthood and the community men’s society. During the dance, the Kipoko dancer demonstrates good leadership by mimicking women’s daily chores, asking the ancestors for help in protecting the village and protecting the sick against evil spirits, and helping to sweep away any lingering evil spirits that may be harming the community. Researched by Emalie Neise

The Emangungu mask represents a stylized face, but whether it is human or animal is unclear; scholars generally describe the mask as anthropozoomorphic. While the stylized nose and mouth are somewhat human, the mask has large owl-like eyes that may symbolize the ability to see beyond the physical and into the spiritual realm. The owl is seen to be wise and clairvoyant, but may also be associated with black magic.

Only a small portion of the Bembe use the Emangungu mask, but for those who do, it is an important part of initiation into adulthood. You men must undergo ritual seclusion, and they are required to wear the mask and a banana bark and leaf costume when they leave the initiation camp to procure food from neighboring villages. This activity precedes a circumcision ritual called Butende Bwa ‘Eluba, which is the main initiation rite required for acceptance into the adult men’s society.  Researched by Emalie Neise

The Gre mask originates with the Bete people of southwest Côte d’Ivoire, and the mask generally represents hostile nature spirits of the dense local forests. The mask illustrates abstracted, animal-like features such as tusks or horns, which suggest animal strength and ferocity. The mask is believed to give the wearer the power to expel evil forces and disease.

The Gre mask has been used for a variety of different purposes. Before the 1960s, the mask was used in dances to help prepare men for war, to instill terror in potential enemies, for societal control, to act as a judge during warfare, and to communicate moral lessons to the community. Today the mask is still used in different ceremonies, but it is also used in masked dances for entertainment. Researched by Emalie Neise

Mfondo masks are metal-covered wooden masks made by the Lwalwa culture, and they are traditionally used in the initiation of young men into the adult men’s society and in rituals for hunting. The masks are most often used in a ceremonial dance called the Bangongo, which is conducted by the adult men’s society after an unsuccessful hunt. The Lwalwa believe that dancing the Bangongo with the Mfondo mask would appease the ancestors, gain their help, and restore order and balance to ward off misfortune during the next hunt. Nevertheless, today these masks are used less and less for rituals and more for entertainment.  Researched by Emalie Neise

N’tomo ceremonial masks are made by the Marka people of Mali and Burkina Faso. The elongated faces, fringed eyelashes, and horns of the mask refer to the antelope, while the anthropomorphic forms of the eyes, nose, and mouth indicate that this represents a supernatural creature. According to Marka mythology, these antelope-human creatures introduced farming to humanity by pawing at the ground to create furrows in the earth for planting.

N’tomo masks are used in important ceremonies related to successful farming, fishing, and hunting. They are also used in rituals such as circumcisions, initiations into adulthood, and transitions between the different age-grade levels of society. Researched by Abby Wade

The Idiok Ekpo mask is made and used by the Ibibio people of Nigeria, and it represents an evil soul that is meant to instill fear in the community. The mask is characterized by the distorted features of a bulging forehead, prominent eyebrows, sharp teeth, and protruding horns. The mask is worn together with a black raffia costume, and it is danced at the Ekpo festival, an event held to honor the ancestors. Researched by Abby Wade

The Makonde people of Tanzania and Mozambique make and use the Likomba mask, which takes an unusual form because is worn on the front of the face, rather than being a full helmet worn over the head like the other traditional masks of the Makonde culture. Likomba masks are used during mapiko masquerades, a dance of many different characters, during which children are initiated into adulthood. The mask is also used in performances that reinforce traditional gender roles and social structures, which helps to preserve Makonde community identity and cultural traditions. Researched by Abby Wade

Deangle masks are made and used by the Dan people of Cote d’Ivoire and Liberia, and they illustrate ideal female beauty, with its oval face, “downcast” slit eyes, full lips, high forehead, and smooth, dark surface. The mask is a representation of a female forest spirit, and it is primarily used in circumcision camps and initiation ceremonies for young boys as a comforting, nurturing female presence. Deangle masks are also used to teach important lessons and as characters in entertainment masquerades, but they may also be used for peacemaking and to exert social control. Researched by Abby Wade

 

For more information, you may contact the researcher(s) noted in the title of this exhibit entry, or Dr. Billie Follensbee, the professor of the course, at BillieFollensbee@MissouriState.edu