What material was the Kwele mask made of?

Kwele masks have two large horns which sometimes encircle and frame the face. Areas of the face are often painted with white kaolin clay, the color of the spirits. Kwele 'ekuk' masks are beautifully stylised with a heart shaped face, almond shaped eyes and a small or non-existent mouth.

1. What were African masks made from?
2. What does the kwele mask symbolize?
3. What tribe uses the kwele mask?
4. What is the Baule mask made of?
5. What material is the kwele mask made of?
6. What kind of wood are African masks made of?
7. What tribe made the kwele mask?
8. Who wore the kwele mask?
9. What is the Lulua mask made out of?
10. What is the ligbi mask made of?
11. What is the Senufo mask used for?
12. How do I identify an African mask?
13. What does a Baule mask look like?
14. What tribe is the Baule mask from?
15. What does the Baule mask symbolize?

What were African masks made from?

The most commonly used material for masks is wood, although a wide variety of other elements can be used, including light stone such as steatite, metals such as copper or bronze, different types of fabric, pottery, and more. Some masks are painted (for example using ochre or other natural colorants).

What does the kwele mask symbolize?

African Kwele mask

The Kwele masks represent the spirits of the forest and the bush and are presented during initiation ceremonies and or at the end of a mourning period to promote well-being within a community. The Kwele masks act as intermediaries between the world of the bush and that of the village.

What tribe uses the kwele mask?

Beete Mask: Gorilla (Gon) 19th–20th century

The Kwele are among the Bantu-speaking peoples who live in western equatorial Africa's rain forest. During the precolonial era, inhabitants of the region adhered to a highly diffuse notion of territoriality.

What is the Baule mask made of?

Thishighly decorative Baule dance mask from Ivory Coast is hand-carved from wood with a rich glossy patina. A Hornbill bird; known as "Calao", is perched on top the the mask. The Baule are part of the Akan people of Côte D'ivoire, also famous for the Goli mask.

What material is the kwele mask made of?

Kwele masks have two large horns which sometimes encircle and frame the face. Areas of the face are often painted with white kaolin clay, the color of the spirits. Kwele 'ekuk' masks are beautifully stylised with a heart shaped face, almond shaped eyes and a small or non-existent mouth.

What kind of wood are African masks made of?

Although several types of wood are used to carve masks and figures, most masks throughout the region are carved from the wood of the Ceiba pentandra (Linn.) Gaertn., which is called "cotton tree","silk-cotton tree", or "ceiba".

What tribe made the kwele mask?

Kwele People. “The Kwele tribe live on the northern frontier of the Republic of Congo, and have produced a famous type of mask called Ekuk. It displays a flat surface and often has a whitened heart-shaped face, a triangular nose and coffee bean eyes.

Who wore the kwele mask?

Kwele mask. The Kwele masks of Gabon are used during initiation ceremonies and or at the end of a mourning period. The masks represent the spirits of the forest. The face of the masks are normally painted with white kaolin, the white represents the spirit world (peace and tranquility).

What is the Lulua mask made out of?

The oldest type has keloids and an encrusted red patina; a later style does not have scarifications, while the most recent type characteristically has simplified features and is made of thicker wood. Sometimes the masks were covered with copper plate and had vegetal-fibre bells attached at the chin.

What is the ligbi mask made of?

The Ligbi are a small tribe, who live on either side of the border between the Ivory Coast and Ghana (where they originally lived). The present, typical Ligbi mask (see also cat. no. 34) is carved from hard, brown wood in oblong form, and coloured black.

What is the Senufo mask used for?

It is a carved wooden helmet mask, which means it is worn over the whole head, and is used in the funerals of the Senufo people. Members of the Poro society, a “secret men's society,” wear it during the funeral ceremonies of their deceased members to honor them as well as well as ward off evil spirits.

How do I identify an African mask?

Check the back of the mask for wear, including the holes for fastening the mask on the face. The wearer does a lot of moving in his dances, and contact between body and wood can leave sweat and oil stains. 2. Look for wear from forehead, cheeks, chins and noses.

What does a Baule mask look like?

The Baule assimilated a number of their neighbors' masquerade forms: a naturalistic face mask, a horned helmet mask, and a flat circular mask called kple kple. ... The flat, disk-shaped face with ringed eyes and rectangular mouth is surmounted by ears and large curving horns.

What tribe is the Baule mask from?

The Baule belong to the Akan peoples who inhabit Ghana and Côte d'Ivoire. Three hundred years ago the Baule people migrated westward from Ghana when the Asante rose to power. The tale of how they broke away from the Asante has been preserved in their oral traditions.

What does the Baule mask symbolize?

Designed as part of a Baule theatrical tradition, known as "Mblo," that combines dramatic skits and solo dances, this mask is an idealized representation of the prominent member of the community for which it was sculpted.