Dance Mask
wood, shell, pigment
early 20th century
Bembe culture
Congo, Africa
#mask #dancemask #handmade #wood #shell #africanart #tribalart #bembeculture #drc #congo #africanmask #tribalmask #ritual #religion #magic #protection #initiation #fertility #culture #belief
Ceremonial Raven mask carved wood, pigments late 19th century Kwakiutl aka Kwakwaka'wakw culture British Columbia, Canada
Ceremonial Raven mask
carved wood, pigments
late 19th century
Kwakiutl aka Kwakwaka'wakw culture
British Columbia, Canada
#tribal #art #tribalart #mask #ceremonialmask #ravenmask #kwakiutl #kwawakawakw #indigenous #firstnation #nativepeoples #tribalmask #raven #cannibalbirdmask #Huxwhukw
Monkey Ceremonial mask
Baule peoples,
Ivory Coast, West Africa
#tribal #tribalart #tribalmask #monkeymask #bauleculture #baule #ivorycoast #westafrica #africanmask #africanart #ethnographic #monkey #ritual #religion #initiation #protection
Chihongo represents a male spirit and refers to wealth and power. This mask would have only have been worn by a high-ranking member of society or his sons during festivities, especially during the proceedings of the mukanda, or male initiation Rites.
Cihongo Male ceremonial mask
wood, fabric, cord
Chokwe people
early 20th century
Angola, Africa.
#chokwe #cihongo #maleinitiation #handmade #tribalart #tribalmask #africanart #ethnographic #ritual #mask #africanmask
Collected in situ by French anthropologist Robert Gessain during the 1934-35 Greenland Expedition. Exhibited in Paris in 1935 and published in Demoulin-Bernard's "Masques", "1965: placing it among the best documented Ammassalimiut masks known today. This mask embodies the deep spiritual world of the Ammassalimiut: human and animal merging through carved lines, fur, breath, and presence.
Ammassalimiut Mask
wood and polar bear fur
circa 1930s
Ammassalik Region, Greenland
#tribal #tribalart #ammassalimiut #mask #carvedwood #polarbearfur #tribalmask #culture #ritual #religion #ancestors #protection #magic #circa1930s #greenland #ammassalikregion
Mask
carved wood
19th century
Nepal
#handmade #tribal #mask #carvedwood #19thcentury #tribalart #tribalmask #nepal #nepaleseart #religion #ritual #protection #culture #belief
Wé-Guéré (Ngere) / Wobé mask
wood, pigment, fiber
early 20th century
Ivory Coast
#weguere #ngere #wobe #mask #africanart #tribalart #ivorycoast #tribal #mask #tribalmask #africanmask #wegueremask #wobemask
The cham dance is a lively masked and costumed dance associated with some sects of Tibetan Buddhism and Buddhist festivals. The dance is accompanied by music played by monks using traditional Tibetan musical instruments. The dances often offer moral instruction relating to karuṇā (compassion) for sentient beings and are held to bring merit to all who perceive them. Chams are considered a form of meditation and an offering to the gods. The leader of the cham is typically a musician, keeping time with a percussion instrument like cymbals, the one exception being Dramyin Cham, where time is kept using dramyin.
Tibetan mask
carved wood
early 20th century
#tibet #mask #carvedwood #ritual #dance #handmade #tribal #tribalart #tribalmask #tibetanmask #oneofakind #unique #religion #beliefsystem #craft #early20thcentury #antique #cham #chamdance #karuna #buddhistdance #buddhism #buddha #compassion #merit
This comb-shaped mask is associated with the Ntomo initiation society, the first stage of ritual education for young Bambara boys before their integration into adult life. The Ntomo society guided their moral, social, and spiritual training through a structured learning process marked by codified rites. The masks were worn by older initiates during public processions and dances, through which symbolic messages were conveyed to the community. With its comb shape and stylized features, this type of mask embodies the values of self-control, balance, and discipline expected from the future members of society.
Comb mask with seven teeth
Wood, traces of white pigment, old brown patina, internal signs of use
early 20th century
Ntomo society
Bambara, Mali
#africa #bambara #mali #ntomosociety #initiation #ritual #religion #africanart #africanmask #secretsociety #tribalart #tribalmask #ivorycoastart #art
The Ogoni people are an ethnic minority group indigenous to Ogoniland, a region in the Niger Delta of southern Nigeria. Historically, they were a peaceful, agricultural, and fishing community whose lives were devastated by large-scale oil spills, pollution, and environmental degradation caused by oil exploration starting in the 1970s. Their struggle for environmental justice and rights gained international attention through the efforts of environmental activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, who led the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP). The Ekpo society is a secretive, male-only cultural institution, also known as the "ghost society," originating from the Efik, Ibibio, and Annang peoples of Nigeria. Known for its fearsome masquerades, it serves to enforce ancestral norms, uphold social order, and maintain spiritual beliefs regarding the afterlife and the influence of ancestors. Members impersonate ancestors to instill fear in non-initiates, particularly women, who are excluded from the society's core activities and rituals.
Anthropozoomorphic face mask of the
"ekpo" society
wood, heavily encrusted patina
early 20th century
Ogoni people
Nigeria
#africanart #tribalart #ogonipeople #ekposociety #ritual #ancestorworship #initiation #mask #tribalmask #africanmask #carved #wood #handmade #
Songye Kifwebe wood mask
wood, pigment
mid 20th century
DRC Congo, Africa
Available...
www.rubylane.com/item/1879775...
#africa #africanart #tribal #tribalart #handamde #carved #wood #pigments #songye #kifwebe #mask #africanmask #tribalmask #dance #ritual #initiation #protection #fertility #art
This anthrozoomorphic mask stands out for the richness of its iconography, incorporating expressive zoomorphic attributes: animal horns, simian-like snout, and omnipresent tubular eyes. These eyes symbolize an absolute vigilance-essential to the mask's role in Guéré society. Used in rituals to identify wrongdoers or restore communal order, this type of mask embodied supernatural justice. Its powerful visual language, balancing human figuration and animal borrowings, reinforces the aura of authority and mystery inherent to these mediating figures.
Dance mask
wood, old brown patina
late 19th century
Guere people
Ivory Coast
#tribalart #guerepeople #carved #handmade #mask #gueremask #dancemask #africanmask #africanart #tribalart #tribalmask #art #ritual #protection #fertility #initiation #ritualdance #culture #religion
The Lele make masks that have much in common, both visually and functionally, with those of their neighbors in the central Kuba kingdom, but are much rarer. Such masks appear principally at the funerals of chiefs and elders but are also used in annual performances that celebrate and teach the history of Lele origins and migrations.
Ritual Mask
carved wood, pigment
Kuba (Lele subgroup)
late 19th century
DRC, Africa
#tribal #tribalart #africa #africanart #kuba #lele #drc #congo #mask #wood #pigment #ritual #religion #19thcentury #africanmask #tribalmask #lelemask #lelepeople #leleculture
"Kiengpa" refers to a ritual mask, specifically a type of Monpa mask from Arunachal Pradesh, India. These masks are used in Monpa rituals and dances, and can depict various figures, including the "defied" form of King Jeipuh. Examples include a Kiengpa mask with bared fangs, inflamed facial hair, and a snub nose. They are often made of wood or paper, and with polychrome coloring. The Monpa people, primarily found in Arunachal Pradesh, India, and Bhutan, possess a rich and distinctive culture deeply rooted in their Himalayan environment and influenced by Tibetan Buddhism. Their culture is characterized by animistic beliefs, vibrant arts and crafts, and a strong connection to nature.
Kiengpa (zombie) mask
carved wood, pigment
Monpa, Arunachal Pradesh
India
#mask #tribal #tribalarts #tribalmask #kiengpa #monpa #monpaculture #india #himalayas #bhutan #animism #arunachalpradesh #ritual #ritualmask #religion #monpaculture #oneofakind #handmade #art
That antique African mask I wear is a 'Kifwebe Mask' of the Songye people of The Congo. It is a powerful embodiment of spiritual force. I purchased it 26 years ago from The Moody Jones Gallery . I fell in love with this mask the moment I firs
#kifwebe #songye #Africanart #tribalmask #Congo
The Kuba Kingdom, also known as the Kingdom of the Bakuba or Bushongo, is a traditional kingdom in Central Africa. The Kuba Kingdom flourished between the 17th and 19th centuries in the region bordered by the Sankuru, Lulua, and Kasai rivers in the heart of the modern-day Democratic Republic of the Congo. This mask may have represented a wise older man at boys’ initiations. One of the principal Kuba dance masks is called pwoom itok. The chief identifying characteristic is the shape of the eyes, whose centers are cones surrounded by holes through which the wearer sees. Like many Kuba types of masks, pwoom itok is extensively polychromed, or multicolored, and in this case adorned with many feathers at top.
Kuba mask
(pwoom itok)
Democratic Republic of the Congo
#kuba #mask #handmade #carved #wood #polychrome #feathers #pwoomitok #initiation #ritual #religion #africanart #tribalart #congo #DRC #tribalmask #africanmask
BAMANA MASK
Suruku mask
Mali
Early 20th century
Wood
Height: 45 cm
#tribalart #drc #bamana #surukumask #mask #tribalmask #ceremonial #initiation #ritual #religion #handmade #art #africanart #africanmask #bamanamask #carved #wood
The Kwakiutl, also known as Kwakwaka'wakw, are an indigenous group of First Nations people inhabiting the coasts of British Columbia, Canada, primarily on Vancouver Island and the adjacent mainland. They are known for their rich cultural traditions, including elaborate potlatches, intricate woodworking, and unique social structures. The Kwakiutl are renowned for their elaborate carvings, including totem poles and ceremonial masks, which are integral to their ceremonies and storytelling.
Kwakiutl ceremonial dance mask
wood, pigment, feathers, fiber
early 20th century
Kwakiutl people
B.C., Canada
#kwakiutl #kwakwakawakw #indigenous #firstnations #tribalart #ceremonial #dance #mask #tribalmask
"Kru Wobe" refers to the Wobe people within the broader Kru ethnic cluster, which is a language and cultural group in Côte d'Ivoire and southeast Liberia. The Kru group includes various sub-groups like the Bété, Dida, and Grebo, as well as the Wobe. The Krou people are known for their traditional way of life, including reliance on forest farming and hunting, and for their history of resistance against the slave trade and later, French control of their country. Kru ritual masks, particularly those with tubular outgrowths, are believed to represent spirits of nature or mythical creatures, often those associated with the forests on the banks of the Cavally River. They are used in ritual ceremonies and may also have played a role in settling disputes and strengthening warriors, according to Alain-Michel Boyer. Kru masks are seen as a way to connect with the spirit world, particularly the spirits of the forest and the mythical beings that inhabit it.
Ritual Mask
wood, pigment, fiber
early 20th century
Kru Wobe people
Ivory Coast
#handmade #carved #wood #mask #kru #wobe #ritualmask #magic #divination #protection #dancemask #africanart #tribalart #tribalmask #africanmask
Painted Dogs
Mixed media.
Pyrography, Acrylic paint, Woodworking, Resin
#art #artwork #bsky.art #pyrography #woodburned #acrylicpaint #acrylicwash #wilddogs #dogs #painteddogs #capehuntingdogs #Africanwilddogs #Africa
#resin #tribalmask #color #colour #nature #wildlife #canine #animals #dogpack
