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Young World
Masks from Africa
MALA MAHESH
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Masks are an important part of African culture and were made for religious purposes. Each mask symbolised some ancient spirit or animal...
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Masks that protect the wearer...
Masks are an important part of African culture. They were made for various religious purposes, symbolising an ancient spirit or animal or ancestor. Some masks cover the entire face, some cover the head, some of them are placed on the crest of the head, like a crown. Masks are a part of a costume worn during dances, rituals, while making laws or while disciplining people.
Each tribe has its unique masks. The art of making masks is passed on from father to son or from a trained village artist to his apprentice.
Masks are mainly made of wood, which were carved using a thin arched blade (set at right angle to the handle) called adze. They add other materials like cowrie shells, hair, fibre, ivory or gold and horns or teeth of animals.
Masks used in rituals...
The Fang tribe in Equatorial rain forest in Gabon makes "Ngil" masks. These are white elongated masks covered with a white pigment called kaolin. The face is heart shaped with long nose. These masks are worn while punishing wrong doers. The Fang tribe also makes prosperity masks, which are smoothly polished and embedded with cowrie shells (used as money in earlier times). The black background of this mask was made from wooden dust and other ingredients. In African art, smooth finish symbolises beauty and high morals. These masks were used while praying to their ancestors for prosperity.
Another similar prosperity mask was that of the Punu tribe. Their masks had high hair dos, smooth finish and were decorated with cowry shells to represent the beauty of the Punu women.
Many African masks were made to protect the people from evil spirits and to communicate with the ancestors and the spirits. The Chokwe tribe from Congo made powerful masks, worn only by the chief or his sons. These masks were also used during the initiation ceremony (where boys are trained to be responsible adults). It was made of bark cloth and stretched over a wicker framework. The mask was then covered with black resin and had red and white designs on it.
Cowrie shells...
The BaSongye tribe made simple masks, of unpainted hard wood, with only incised lines or grooves on them to distinguish the male from female masks. The masks from Bwa, village in Mali, look like long panels of decorated wood. They are called "Nwantantay" masks. The top part of the panel is decorated with geometric design, signifying the tribe's history or about their God `Do'. The dancer looks through the mouth of the mask as its eyes are only painted and not cut out. These masks present the shapeless flying spirit, from the bush.
Some tribes like the Nuna, who live in the Savannah land of Burkina Faso, made masks representing animals like hawk, buffalo and the crocodile. These animal masks have large eyes, surrounded by circles and short triangular shaped snout, with geometric design on them. They wore these masks and danced in honour of these animal spirits, which live in the jungles, seeking their blessings and protection.
Western artists were attracted to the raw beauty of these masks, which they used in their own work. Soon masks became a collector's item. Since the masks weren't meant for decoration, they should be viewed with their entire costume, rather than as a stand-alone object, for a better understanding and appreciation.
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