hand carved

The Kponyugo mask, sometimes known as the "firespitter" mask, is an important ceremonial mask for the Senufo people of Mali, the Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso. Its fierce appearance is intended to elicit uncertainty and apprehension, and it is commonly used during funeral rituals to scare away malevolent spirits. Salihu Ibrahim replicates the mask with extraordinary attention to detail. Featuring horns, pointy tusks, sharp-looking teeth, and a raffia mane, the visage is fearsome.

For the Bobo peoples of Burkina Faso and Mali, masks that represent animals or spirits play an important role in daily life. Featuring antelope-like horns, this handcrafted wood mask from Sinclair Yao Daley in Ghana exemplifies Bobo artistry. Such masks are used by the Bobo in harvest ceremonies, funerals, and rites of passage.

Identified by ritual scarring on the face, this handsome youth is a member of the Mossi people who live in Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire. Applications of white clay create an aged, antique effect while a cap of Ghanaian kente cloth adds color. Winfred Korley carves this elegant African mask by hand.

This elongated African mask with two faces is hand-carved from sese wood by Ernestina Oppong Asante. Although wood carving is traditionally the domain of men, this talented Ghanaian artisan has established herself as a carver on the strength of her own craftsmanship. This design is an original creation based on the art of the Bobo people.

Among the Bobo people of Burkina Faso and Mali, masks are used in rituals to help connect humans with nature and the gods. In ceremonies, the mask wearers lose their individual identities and become part of the divinity believed to be held within the masks.

For the Bobo peoples of Burkina Faso and Mali, masks are an important part of their tradition and daily life. Sinclair Yao Daley creates this colorful wood butterfly mask, hand-carved from sese wood. The butterfly is an auspicious ceremonial mask for having a successful crop — critical to a farming culture in an arid land.