Cool African Mask, small head, earrings, webbing

I have not had any luck finding out which African tribe this cool mask that I picked up from a yard sale is from. I'd appreciate any help. Thank you!

 

Your mask is in the style (somewhat loosely) of masks made by the Chokwe people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Masks made for use are made full size, to be worn over the face. Yours appears to be a miniature version, most probably made for sale on the tourist market.

http://www.bwoom-gallery.com/Tschokwe mwana-pwo Maske 32207 Kongo Angola.html


https://www.gallerytribalart.com/product/chokwe-mask/

 

Wow, that's incredible. Thank you very much. You are an asset to this site! The size w/ webbing made it confusing. I greatly appreciate your help. I love the mask!

 

She certainly is!

 

Not all small masks are decorative and for the tourist market. Small masks are also called passport masks and have a special use. Might want to do some research on those and see what you can find.

 

I will look into it. Thank you for that valuable info!

 

Genuine "passport" masks are primarily associated with groups in West Africa - Liberia and Ivory Coast - particularly the Dan people. They are made as personal amulets. There is a much wider practice of making small versions of masks for sale to tourists, where portability is important.

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/312534

http://smafathers.org/museum/passports-case-16/

https://www.hamillgallery.com/PASSPORTMASKS/PassportMasks.html

 

I also wondered whether passport masks would have webbing, it doesn't seem practical to me.

 

it's not..........they were carried on trips...and not worn..

 

I have not come across passport masks with webbing. However, I have just recently found some pics in Google images of sonewhat similiar chokwe smaller ones with webbing. Does anyone know if young children would wear these during ceremonies?

 

It is not widely known that, in the first half of the 20th century, Belgian missionaries of the Order of Saint Francis gathered important data on Chokwe peoples, in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo. This article discusses a selection of mostly unpublished field photographs of Chokwe masks, made by Father Marchai in the village of Sandoa, Katanga Province, in 1948. After a brief history of Franciscan missionary activity in the former Belgian Congo, an attempt is made to identify the different mask characters shown in Marchai's photographs. The central section of the article examines a detailed report by Marchai's fellow missionary Father Borgonjon on a Chokwe initiation ritual for adolescent boys, which constitutes an important context for masking. The conclusion addresses some methodological questions in relation to the use of missionary photographs as anthropological and art historical documents.

but it wasn't the boys who wore the masks..........

 

Hmmm ....interesting, more research to do. Thank you!

 

Masking traditions in Africa generally function to educate (through initiation rites), celebrate, and enforce a society's social norms. They are therefore the province of adults, often individuals with specialized knowledge, memberships, and training.

 

what more research..?
we've pretty much handled it.......... imo..

 

That's what I thought.

You'd have to have a tiny head to wear one, like a Henry Moore sculpture.

 

The "webbing" on your mask is a nod to the type of full costume that would be worn by a dancer. The fiber net covers the back of the head and joins with the full body costume:


https://www.randafricanart.com/Chokwe_Pwo_mask.html

 

Interesting, again....thanks so much!

 

This is the mask that I have found so far that is the most similar to mine. Found it on v atican.com

 

nope...that's not even close to similar...............

 

The reason I described your mask as "loosely in the style of" Chokwe masks is because it is not uncommon for African artisans and workshops to create objects for sale in a variety of styles, which may not be in the artisans' own ethnic tradition. Such pieces may be more, or less, faithful to the forms and esthetics displayed in objects actually created by the originators of the style. Your mask shows several features seen in some Chokwe Pwo masks - the angular shapes, the tri-lobed hairstyle, the scarification on the forehead, the puffy almond eyes, the earrings, the prominent mouth, and the fiber netting on the back. But it gives more the effect of a recipe rather than an overall Chokwe "feel" (which is hard to put into words. Personally Chokwe things often freak me out a bit.) IMO it is simply a small tourist piece, which may or may not have been made by a Chokwe artisan. It may not be fruitful to search for an "authentic" mask that looks just like it. Just enjoy it. If it inspires you to learn more about African cultures and art, all the better.