Roughly done mask ID

Its 10x5.5", made of light wood.
African or a bad copy?

Thanks

 

I was always told if theres no wear inside the mask , its usually tourist stuff .

 

Most of the masks ARE tourist stuff. Question is where they were made and if they are locally made?

 

I think that on real masks you cannot see the actual wear...

 

Think again !
A dance mask used in many ceremonies , worn for an extended period of time will show the oils and sweat from the dancers face.

Your mask is a low grade item, quickly made to sell in a large tourist market.
I would place only a marginal value on it.

 

How can you see oils and sweat?
But, ok. At best its tourist stuff.
My question is: does it relate to certain african culture or not?
Thanks

 

Not to mention that masks are not worn only by dancers

 

If a mask is made for actual wearing , for any length of time , with any exertion by the wearer, the wood will soak up that persons oils and show discolor in the proper places.

I don't recognize any particular tribe that this mask would belong to.

 

For sure a mask that is used will show signs of that use, often discoloration and smoothness in the cheek, chin or forehead area, or at the inside bottom if it is hand-held when in use. Depending on the culture, there will be other signs that a mask is intended for use.
Some types of masks have a small "shelf" inside, in the mouth area; the dancer grips this in his teeth. Northwest Coast masks intended for use, whether or not they have actually been used, may be "dance rigged," having cords or straps intended to hold the mask in place. Heavier dance-rigged masks may have a strap often made of blanket fabric that dangles down behind and is intended to be tied to the back of the dancer's belt to balance the mask which is often front-heavy.
However, many masks which were not intended for actual use are still not "tourist stuff." Many Northwest Coast artists carve masks intended only for wall-hanging, rather than for actual native use; but at prices in the thousands they are intended for sale to serious collectors, museums even, not tourists.....
It is also untrue that items without eye-holes are not "masks."
First, large NW Coast native masks often have no eye-holes; the wearer performs blind, and an assistant helps guide him; or again, the NW Coast masks intended to be hung on walls may or may not have holes for the eyes. At least with NW Coast Native items, the carvers call such wall-hung items "masks" if they are shaped like masks and I defer to their nomenclature.

But I digress, or rant.....I don't recognize the culture of this mask, and would not venture to guess whether it was made for use, or is similar to ones made for use. It doesn't look to me like it has been used, though.