Product Description
Pair of Kpelie wooden masks , Senufo – Mali
This pair of hand-carved Senufo Kpelie hand-carved wooden masks comes from the Ivory Coast/Mali. They have preserved their authenticity, surface, and aged patina. The wood carving is exquisite and exaggerated features, have all of the hallmarks of the Ivory Coast/Mali Senufo people’s ‘Kpelie’ mask. Beautiful, mysterious and poetic, imbued with the cultural narrative of its people and its time.
Made of 100% wood
Model is W 34 – H 22 and weight 1.1 kg.
Description
This pair of hand-carved Senufo Kpelie masks comes from the Ivory Coast/Mali. They have preserved their authenticity, surface, and aged patina. The wood carving is exquisite and exaggerated features, have all of the hallmarks of the Ivory Coast/Mali Senufo people’s ‘Kpelie’ mask. Beautiful, mysterious and poetic, imbued with the cultural narrative of its people and its time.
The Senufo people have a variety of masks, each having a use for different occasions. One of the famous masks used by the Poro society was the Kpeli-yehe mask, an anthropomorphic mask worn at funeral ceremonies, compelling the spirit of the deceased to leave his house. Another, more rare mask, the Degelemask, which originated from a few villages in the vicinity of Korhogo town, and were danced in the kuumo ceremony (“Great Festival of the Dead”) in a male and female pair. The Kagba mask was famous among the southern Senufo group of the Nafara, a zoomorphic mask worn with a costume consisting of a tent like structure of reeds and covered with ornamentally painted mats of blankets, and was danced by a single performer. The double headed Wanyugo mask, or as is sometimes referred to in the western world, the Firespitter mask or Janus Buffalo helmet mask, belonged to the Wabele society. The task of the Wabele society was to destroy negative forces (dee bele) and harmful spirits (nika’abele) who, in the shape of monsters or wild animals, threaten people in times of crisis or vulnerability, as, for instance, during burial ceremonies. According to some Senufo lore, the masks derive their power from magical /medicinal substances placed in a cup that is carved into the top of the mask, however the potion can only become effective if supplemented by a costume of cotton fabric, and danced to music in the context of a ceremony.
The Senufo are spread across the Ivory Coast, Mali and Burkina Faso and number about one and a half million in total, sustaining a living off of farming and occasional hunting. They live in villages that are governed by a council of elders, who in turn are led by a chief that was elected from them. The tribal structure if controlled through the rituals of the Poro society who initiate and control the men from as young a seven yours of age and on. The Poro society organization was based on age grades; they exert social and political control, convey traditional knowledge, and fulfill religious functions, especially during elaborate funeral ceremonies. The Senufo spirituality is based on the god and goddess principals, with their powerful god, Koulotiolo, and goddess mother, Katielo, regenerating the world through the rituals of the Poro society.
Additional information
| Weight | 1.1 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 34 × 22 cm |
| Color | |
| Material |
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