african animal mask

Facing in both directions, a fierce dragon derives from Dogon religious customs. Salihu Ibrahim replicates a Kanaga mask. Mali's Dogon custom dictates that only the village blacksmith can craft the mask, inside a secret cave. It is fashioned after a wild forest hog, and whoever wears the Kanaga mask during the Dogon's sacred ceremonies is believed to become the Creator, symbolically. Today these dances are performed for the public, yet there are Dogon people who fear, respect and depend upon the power of the mask, and thus are very respectful of the Kanaga.

This hand-carved mask of sese wood is adorned with rich colors and a prominent aluminum plate, named Osunu, or "elephant" in the Twi dialect spoken by the Akan tribe of Ghana. This original design by Rita Addo Zakour, of West Africa, is hand-carved and hand-painted by local artisans using local tools. Intricate lines and etched arcs complement the carved facial features of this beautiful African mask.

A brilliant painted wood box opens to reveal handcrafted masks. Used during the Carnival celebrations preceding Lent, they show an astonishing array of animals, human and fantasy faces. Alejandro Chávez displays them in a traditional diorama, known as a retablo; each figurine is modeled by hand.

Skillfully sculpting sese wood, Eric Danquah relates a legend among the people of Akuapem. He depicts an elderly woman with the silhouette of an animal on her forehead. It is said that a hunter in the olden days went out to seek food for his family, but came back empty handed. On his return, he met the woman in the woods. She placed the mark of an animal on his forehead and told him he would always enjoy good hunting. And so he did. In Akuapem, such masks are given to hunters to assure their success.

This striking decorative statue is created by West African artisan Frank Odei Amoani. In the Bambara tradition, a tyi wara crest mask representing an antelope is worn on the top of a dancer's head during ceremonies of sowing and harvesting. For this crest mask, the shape of a male antelope with two horns is first carved from dark sese wood, the sculpture is painted, and then local clay is applied to give it an aged look.