Tribal Art

Mask in the form of a basketwork structure draped in textile, imprisoning a bouquet of feathers at the top, the whole abundantly lined with raffia fibers. The whole thing formed a strange hat for the dancer whose mask consisted of facial paintings. Established in the Ogooué basin, the Okandé group of Membé language, neighbor of the Punu, Pounou, is composed of the Tsogho, Pové (Vuvi), Okandé, Evea, and Apindji ethnic groups. These ethnic groups practice the cult of Mwiri, a male initiation society. Source: "Masks of Gabon", ed. Wakes; http://www.theatramour.com/masque_bodi.php.

Exceptional mask of character representing a monkey, and whose power is expressed through features and volumes skillfully rendered. Marks of use, velvety patina, small accidents and abrasions. Residues of red pigments.
Only two types of Hemba masks have been identified: that of an anthropomorphic type with regular features, whose pointed chin is reminiscent of statuary, and those depicting monkeys,the soko mutu , and whose functions remain little known, but which probably belonged, according to J.Kerchache, to the secret societies bugabo and bambudye . The smallest specimens ( about twenty centimeters) would have been carried in the hand during rites intended for the protection of the home and fertility. In addition to the janiform statuettes kabeja , the statues of male ...

Scaled down version for this African mask Makonde embodying an ancestral spirit. The ancestors would return masked to mark their satisfaction following initiation. A labret distorts the upper lip. The incised patterns refer to the traditional tattoos and scarifications of the Makonde.
Satin patina.
The Makonde of northern Mozambique and southern Tanzania wore mask-helmets called lipiko during initiation ceremonies for young men. The Makonde worship an ancestor , which explains the abundance of naturalistic female statuary. In addition to the facial masks worn during mapiko dances and ngoma ceremonies that instruct youth about the requirements of marriage and family life. the Makonde also produce body masks featuring the female bust. (Art and Life in Africa, C.D. Roy)

African sculpture associated with the mythical ancestor Oso of the Kouyou, a neighboring group of the Punu in the Republic of Congo. The face and body bear many scarified patterns, and the mouth reveals sharp teeth. The subject wearing a totemic animal is represented sitting on a janiform mask.
Polychrome matte patina. Desication erosions and cracks.
Formerly, the Kouyou were divided into two totemic clans: in the West that of the panther, and in the East that of the snake. A secret men's association, Ottoté, played an important political role in the appointment of chiefs. The initiation of young people ended with the revelation of the serpent god Ebongo represented in the form of a head. The Kibe-kibe or Kebekebe dances, which accompanied the ceremony, reactivated the ...

Powerful visual impact for this "mask of bravery" of We from Liberia. The huge mouth, devoid of teeth, responds to the circular volume of the exorbitant pupils, and, under a human nose, to the tiny orifices representing the nostrils. Crusty and composite agglomerates, in which mingle bird's down. Grainy matte patina. Height on base: 41 cm.
The Dan, in the north, and the Wé in the south (Krou group comprising the Guéré, the Wobé in the northeast and the Wé of Liberia called Kran or Khran), made frequent use of borrowings due to their proximity. The elements of the bush, protruding volumes of the forehead, horns and fangs, zoomorphic jaw in some cases evoking the gaping mouth of an animal creature, are associated with human traits marking the duality of the divine. Before the 1960s, ...

Ex. collection African tribal art from Belgium.
African mask capped with a skullcap and featuring a face imbued with contemplation. The features are framed by circular ears with detached pavilions. The raffia ornament attached to the base, intended to conceal the wearer, remains preserved. Velvety matt patina, abrasions. Coming from Angola in the 17th century, the Mbala settled in northwestern Zaire and east among the Pelende, Suku, Pende, and Yaka. Formerly matrilineal, they are made up of clans headed by the maternal uncle. The chief was in charge of the ancestor cult, although it was quite limited. Following a retreat of a few days, royal insignia and charms were given to him, intended to combat powers opposing the hunt, social peace, and the crops. The Kwésé are, ...

Endowed with a morphology with both feminine and masculine characters, this statue is erected on a base overhanging a calotte mask. The semi-flexed legs, however, evoke the tribal dance mbombo of the young girls during the Ogbom ceremonies, held before the altar at the close of the periods of seclusion. This danced ritual was dedicated to the deity of the earth named Ala among the Igbo, and Isong among the Ibibio . The crest masks were then kept near the chimney flues of the huts in order to be protected from insects. Thick cracked patina, colored highlights, localized abrasions. Old break on the nose and cracks.
The Eket , established in southeastern Nigeria, are a subgroup of the Ibibio ethnic group renowned for their expressive masks. They are a patrilineal society whose ...

Ex-Swiss African art collection.

The voluminous headdresses of the Ikorodo masks in the African art of Nigeria.
This African Igbo mask named Ikorodo in the Nsukka region of southern Nigeria glorifies youth and beauty, with narrow eye slits, a face with sharp white coated features, scarification and tattoos. The headdress is composed of three openworked wings topped with circular protrusions, hence the name "cap" headdress.

African Punu art and African ancestor masks.
According to Alicia LaGamma, the African mask intended for the ikwara dance intervened during difficult palavers. This vigilante mask worn by a dancer perched on small stilts is topped with a single shell with short side quilts. Checkerboard scarifications are inscribed on the face coated with a dark patina. Desication erosions and cracks. Height on base: 50 cm.
The white masks of Gabon, itengi, (pl. bitengi) were associated with the various secret societies of Gabon, including the Bwiti, Bwete, and the Mwiri ("to lead"), the latter spanning several levels of initiation, to which all Punu men belonged, and whose emblem was the caiman. The Punu did not involve any mask in Bwiti rituals, unlike the Tsogo. These powerful secret ...

African initiation mask of the pende type Mbuya, whose face is coated with kaolin. The headdress is raffia is always present. Satin patina. Height on base: 52 cm.

The western Pende live on the banks of the Kwilu, while the eastern people have settled on the banks of the Kasai downstream from Tshikapa. The Mbuya masks, realistic, produced every ten years, take on a festive function, and embody different characters that are difficult to differentiate without their costume, including the chief fumu or ufumu, the diviner and his wife, the prostitute, the jester, tundu, the possessed, etc... The Mbuya initiation masks linked to the initiation mukanda< /i> and those of power , the minganji , represent the ancestors and occur successively during the same ceremonies , ...

The Mambila mask Suaga Bor is easily identifiable thanks to its gaping and toothed mouth as well as the pair of horns that cover it.
This type of zoomorphic mask is defined as a dog-magpie mask .
More than a mouth, it is the mouth of the dog, all protruding teeth, which is ready to bite its prey.
This type of mask differs from the canons of traditional Mambila art by its atypical zoomorphic forms.
It embodies a fierce aspect of the forces of nature and only appears at sowing festivals.
In the procession he is always accompanied by another mask, this time with a human face that fights the negative forces of the Suaga Bor mask.

Despite their small number, the thirty thousand Mambila (or Mambila, Mambere, Nor, Torbi, Lagubi, Tagbo, Tongbo, ...

Figurative version of the gelede mask, revealing a face with realistic features imbued with softness. This mask is embellished with a tri-lobed cap whose striped patterns are coated with colored pigments.
Velvety matte patina, abrasions and slight losses.
The Gelede country in Nigeria pays tribute to mothers, especially the oldest among them, whose powers are said to be comparable to those of the Yoruba gods, or orisa, and the ancestors, osi< /i> and which can be used for the benefit but also for the misfortune of society. In the latter case these women are named aje. Masked ceremonies, through performances using masks, costumes and dances, are meant to urge mothers to use their extraordinary qualities for peacemaking and constructive purposes, for the good of society.

Coll. Belgian tribal art.

The primitive sculptures Lega in African art. This ancient mask with concave eye sockets, painted with circular patterns, has a thick locally chipped crusty patina. The hollowed-out eyes are surrounded by pink ochre. Interesting abrasions of use.
This African Lega mask indicated the stage that its holder had reached within the Bwami, a learning society composed of different ranks, and which was joined by the wives whose spouse had reached the third level, that of the ngandu . Within the Lea, the society of the Bwami open to men and women, organized social and political life. There were up to seven levels of initiation, each associated with emblems. Following their exodus from Uganda in the 17th century, the Lega settled on the west bank of the ...

This exceptional African Dogon mask, surmounted by snake motifs, was collected in the 1950s by a great lover of African art, Mr. Arnaud, accompanying Alain Bilot, a renowned collector of Dogon art during study stays in Mali. . The features in high relief, contrasting with the gaze with oblique eyelids, pointing under a prominent forehead, lend a rare force to this Dogon mask. Four snakes rise, creating a striking undulating movement. Brown patina, matte. Abrasions of use and encrusted deposits of ritual unctions, cracks. Height on base: 67 cm. The Dogon are a people renowned for their culture, their myths and legends. Their population is estimated at around 300,000 souls living in the southwest of the Niger bend in the Mopti region of Mali. The Dogon blacksmiths form an endogamous caste ...

The African masks of the Punu are distinguished by their elaborate hairstyles made up of braided shells. This sophisticated example also has a pierced lid.
Height on base: 47 cm. Abraded matte patina, gaps (outlines).
The white masks of Gabon, itengi, (pl. bitengi) were associated with the various secret societies of Gabon, including the Bwiti, Bwete, and the Mwiri ("to lead") , the latter being spread over several levels of initiation, to which all Punu men belonged, and whose emblem was the caiman (hence, for some, the saurian scale pattern). This object, evocation of a deceased young woman, was exhibited during the dance called Okuyi. These powerful secret societies, which also had a judicial function, featured several dances, including the Leopard Dance, the Esomba, the ...

African mask of the Tsogho type related to the Pové masks embodying the primordial ancestor Muhunzu. Called Nzambé-kana and Disumba among the Tsogho, it intervenes during Bwiti ceremonies for rites of passage or mourning. The successive arcs forming his features soften his physiognomy. Parallel scarifications, placed horizontally, counter balance the whole. Light patina, gray and beige highlights. Cracks and abrasions.
A matrilineal tribe close to the Pounou or Punu, the Tsogo, Mitsogo, are traditionally farmers (slash-and-burn agriculture) and renowned for their very elaborate rituals of religious practice, and particularly of initiation, notably the bwiti or the mwiri for men, and the nyembe for women. Their masks are kept at the back of the ebanza house where the ...

This mask has an extravagant volute hairstyle that represents the hair extensions of young girls at the end of their period of initiation reclusion. The wood is covered with animal skin, most often antelope. The mouth reveals metal teeth.
Height on base: 47 cm. The dancer's costume was made up of a large lattice of raffia cords and, more recently, of cotton fabric. The masks were coated with palm oil before use, and placed in daylight so that the leather would soften and take on a satisfactory sheen. Leopard societies, such as the male Kpe, Ngbe society among the Aro, used crests for initiation ceremonies or funerals of association members, but also during agricultural rituals. The headdress would represent that of young women after their traditional seclusions during ...

Several types of masks are listed among the Bamileke who seek power by allying themselves with animals: such as this rare mask depicting a great ape, with human hair extended with braids and accessorized with heterogeneous talismans. The features are enhanced with ocher and white pigments. A wicker strapping, adjusted to the internal contours of the mask, held the carved wooden face on the wearer's head.
In the border region of Nigeria, the North West province of Cameroon, the Grassland is made up of several ethnic groups: Tikar, Anyang, Widekum, Chamba, Bamoun and Bamileke. Several centralized chiefdoms, or kingdoms, based on customary associations, secret societies, are organized around the Fon who would have broad supernatural powers including that of being able to change ...

Incised with striations that emphasize the arc of the eyelids and then extend horizontally across the temples, this mask is also engraved with broken lines on the lower 2/3. A wide black band runs from the mouth to the neck, responding to the dark-tinted organs and reinforcing the visual aspect of the latter.
Velvety smooth patina, abraded on protrusions. Desiccation cracks.  Three types of African Kifwebe masks are listed: the male (kilume) generally with a high crest, the female (kikashi) would present a more modest crest or even absent, and finally the largest incarnating power (kia ndoshi). In the 16th century, the Songyes migrated from the Shaba region to settle on the left bank of the Lualaba. Their society is organized in a patriarchal manner. Their history is ...

Ex-collection of Belgian African tribal art.

The triangular face underlined by a beard is specific of the Bassikassingo style. Large almond-shaped eyes, a triangular nose, a reduced mouth. According to Daniel Biebuyck, the widespread use of ancestor figures would be the result of the presence of pre-Bembe hunters among these groups living on the western shore of Lake Tanganyika. Matt patina, abrasions.
Migratory flows have mixed within the same territories Bembe , Lega, Buyu (Buye) or Boyo , Binji and Bangubangu. The Bassikassingo Bassikassingo, considered by some as a sub-clan of the Buyu Buyu, are however not of Bembe origin although they live on their territory, as Biebuyck's work has allowed to trace their history. Organized in lineages, they borrowed the ...

The African masks nsembu , embodying the spirit of divination, appear in pairs during the rites of the nkunda , babankunda society. Characterized by its gaping, geometric features, this mask also offers a gridded surface of different shades of brown.
Satin patina. Height on base: 44 cm.
The Kumu , Bakumu, Komo, live primarily in the northeast and central Democratic Republic of Congo. Their Bantu language is Komo or Kikomo . Several ethnic groups are closely intertwined, with similar associations: the Mbole, Yela, Lengola, and Metoko. Their artistic production also has great similarities with that of the Metoko and Lengola. Their divination masks were exhibited at the closing ceremonies of the initiation and circumcision of the youth of the nkunda society. It is indeed ...