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Tharu tribal members from this area are nature worshipers. They worship many forest spirits and deities, including the forest goddess. Many of the most primitive tribes live in/near forests and near rivers.
This shamanic mask was used in rituals, festivals and exorcisms by a village shaman. The…
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- Item Number: M-0837
- Provenance/Origin: Terai Region, Morang District, Tribal, Nepal. Circa 1920 - 1940s
- Composition: Wood, beads, yak hair
- Dimensions: 10.5" tall x 6.5" wide x 4.25" deep
- Weight: 1.75 pounds
- Price: $ 475.00 USD
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The Senufo – a traditional agricultural people of the northern savanna – Kpelie masks either represent a Poro ancestor or a supernatural spirit of a deceased village person.
This double-faced mask has provided a variety of functions. It is a significant part of the rites of…
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- Item Number: M-8047
- Provenance/Origin: Senufo. Tribe of Cote D'Lvoire. West Africa. Circa 1940 - 1950s.
- Composition: Wood
- Dimensions: 16.5" tall x 7" wide x 2.5" deep
- Weight: 1.75 pounds
- Price: $ 235.00 USD
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This stunning mask is from the Chokwe people of the Congo with similar masks coming from Angola. Mwana Pwo masks are handcarved by a craftsmen to represent an ancestral spirit of Pwo or the archetype of womanhood and fertility. Such efforts are significant given the…
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- Item Number: M-6451
- Provenance/Origin: Southern DRC/Congo, Near Kasai River. Circa 1970s.
- Composition: Wood, fabric, metal
- Dimensions: 9" (mask only) tall x 7" at widest x 8.5" deep
- Weight: 1.5 pounds
- Price: $ 345.00 USD
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The Baule are one of the Akan peoples who moved west to the Ivory Coast more than 200 years ago. They adopted masking traditions from their neighboring tribes such as the Guro, the Senufo and the Yaure.
During the 18th century, Baule queen, Aura Poku, was in…
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- Item Number: M-2134
- Provenance/Origin: Cote d'Ivoire. Circa 1970s
- Composition: Wood
- Dimensions: 15" tall x 12" wide x 7.5" deep
- Weight: 3.75 pounds
- Price: $ 335.00 USD
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The Lulua tribes – aka as Bena Lulua – migrated from western Africa in the 17th Century and found their home in the southern part of Zaire (aka Democratic Republic of Congo). They formed small chiefdoms and their social structure was based on a caste system. …
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- Item Number: M-9699
- Provenance/Origin: Zaire. Circa 1940 - 1950s
- Composition: Wood, paint
- Dimensions: 16" tall x 9" wide x 8" deep
- Weight: 3.5 pounds
- Price: $ 410.00 USD
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Dan masks are so very intriguing!
In the 9th Century, the Dan people migrated from western Sudan region to the north which is part of (present day) Mali. Then, because of conflict, they migrated to Cote D’Ivoire . . . and – present day –…
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- Item Number: M-7797
- Provenance/Origin: Liberia. Dan people. Circa 1960 - 1970s
- Composition: Wood. Vegetal. Paint.
- Dimensions: Mask face: 10" tall x 6" wide. Total length: 15"
- Weight: 1.75 pounds
- Price: $ 162.00 USD
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The Djimini (aka Dyimini) people of Cote d’lvoire are part of the larger Senufo group. Heavily into story telling about their history and traditions, this group believes in animism as their main religious practice. Everything, everything has a spirit inside it . . the…
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- Item Number: M-4532
- Provenance/Origin: Djimini people. Gold Coast. Circa 1960s
- Composition: Wood, vegetal fibers, fabric
- Dimensions: 10" tall x 7.5" wide x 6" deep (mask without tassels)
- Weight: 1.75 pounds
- Price: $ 225.00 USD
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After a long history of forced migration and union with other groups, the Yaka have been an independent society since the 19th century. Living in the northern Congo, the Yaka are primarily hunters, although they also practice small scale farming. The Yaka has a tight-knit control…
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- Item Number: M-3360
- Provenance/Origin: Northern Yaka. Congo. Circa 1960 - 1970s
- Composition: Wood, pigment, raffia, vegetal fibers and cloth.
- Dimensions: Mask is 21" tall x 7" wide x 10" deep (excluding raffia). On stand: 33" tall.
- Weight: 5 pounds with stand
- Price: $ 595.00 USD
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The people of Igbo-Ukwu (southeast of Onitsha), ancestors of present-day Igbo, were proficient in metal working art in the 9th century (+ or – years depending on what expert you speak with). They are thought to be the earliest smithers (hammering, bending, twisting & incising) of copper and…
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- Item Number: M-8686
- Provenance/Origin: Igbo tribe. Igbo-Ukwu, Circa early- to mid-1900
- Composition: Bronze
- Dimensions: 8" tall x 5" wide x 3" deep
- Weight: 2 pounds
- Price: $ 570.00 USD
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Well known for white-faced masks (Okuyi), the ethnic group that this was acquired from (Mpongwe) has two separate uses for masks like this.
Costumed ceremonies include rites of passage and funerary events.
This mask was used for the later. The typical Okuyi performer wears a…
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- Item Number: M-3109
- Provenance/Origin: Ogooue River Region, Gabon. Circa 1970s
- Composition: Wood
- Dimensions: 14" tall x 8" wide x 4.5" deep
- Weight: 3.75 pounds
- Price: $ 165.00 USD
