beautiful mask

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.

A comb centers the headdress of this beautiful African mask, and the personage wears large earrings. Hand carved and painted, the sese wood image is crafted by Ghana's Salihu Ibrahim. It represents the Fulani people who have settled in Mali. Although thought to have West African origins, the Fula are also present throughout Central Africa and Sudanese North Africa. "We Africans tend to adopt certain cultural practices that we believe are good ones, and customs are also shared through inter-cultural marriage," Ibrahim explains. "Among Mali-dwelling Fulani, such masks are given to a woman as a marriage proposal. She responds by giving a Senufo monkey mask to her suitor as a sign of acceptance."

Shaped like a leaf, this mask is covered with colorful recycled glass beads and beautifully embossed brass. Named Boka, a Hausa word meaning "spiritualist," the mask is handcrafted of rubberwood by Abdul Aziz Mohamadu. "These are used by the Kidul tribes of Mali at the beginning of the farming season to consult with the gods and ask their blessings on the land. This will enable a good harvest," he explains.

A monkey centers the headdress of this beautiful African mask, and the personage wears large earrings. Hand carved and painted, the sese wood image is crafted by Ghana's Salihu Ibrahim. It represents the Fulani people who have settled in Mali. Although believed to have West African origins, the Fula are also present throughout Central Africa and Sudanese North Africa. "We Africans tend to adopt certain cultural practices that we believe are good ones, and customs are also shared through inter-cultural marriage," Ibrahim explains. "Among Mali-dwelling Fulani, comb masks are given to a woman as a marriage proposal. She responds by giving a Senufo monkey mask to her suitor as a sign of acceptance. Because the monkey is known to be a happy animal, this mask reflects her happiness in saying yes."

This elegant African mask represents the art of Mali. Showing the characteristic downcast eyes and narrow, elongated features, its three antlers suggest the Bambara antelope tradition. Kobina Asmah carves the mask by hand and embellishes it with embossed brass and aluminum in a beautiful portrait of a Bambara woman.

Shaped like a leaf, this mask is covered with beautifully hand embossed aluminum. Yellow surrounds the watchful eyes and eloquent mouth. Named Boka – a Hausa word meaning "Spiritualist" – the mask is crafted by Abdul Aziz Mohamadu. "These are used by the Kidul tribes of Mali at the beginning of the farming season to consult with the gods and ask their blessings on the land. This will enable a good harvest," he explains.

Ghanaian master carver Christopher Nyasafo faithfully replicates the beautiful artistry of the Senufo people with this replica mask. Carved by hand featuring a bird on the crown looking down, this ceremonial mask from the Senufo people of Ivory Coast and Mali is associated with their Poro society to which the adult men belong to. Their purpose is to maintain a community of religious and historical traditions.