Understanding masks from Africa

Why do people wear and use masks?

conceal

shock scare

disguise

transformcelebrate

When have you worn a mask?

– any occasion where masks are worn, often in celebrations, rituals and processions

What do we mean by ‘mask’?

• Mask –

• To mask –

• Masquerade

to conceal/disguise the real nature of something

an object obscuring the face

MASQUERADE

- Compare these two masks – look for similarities and differences.

- What might it be like to wear these masks?

- What are the purposes of a masquerade?

Carved wooden mask of the Epa masquerade Yoruba, probably late 19th century ADFrom Nigeria

MASQUERADE

Wearing the mask enables dancers to show their strength and to reach higher forms of existence.

Wooden mask for Gelede masquerade Yoruba, probably late 19th century ADFrom Nigeria

- Research what other costume and jewellery would be worn with these Yoruba masks.

- What would the masquerade have looked like?

Masquerade ceremonies protect and give good fortune to communities, commemorate ancestors and bring prosperity.

SYMBOLS AND MEANINGS

• What are the similarities between these masks in their form and material?

• What are the differences?

• How might they be worn?

Carved wooden maskBamana, probably early 20th century ADFrom Mali, West Africa

Carved wooden headdress decorated with seedsAfo, 20th century ADFrom northern Nigeria

USING SYMBOLS TO CONVEY MEANINGS

• This depicts a chameleon resting on a cock’s comb. The chameleon is a important symbol, which can mean many things – why do you think this is?

• The chameleon can to bring long life or death, abundance or infertility, depending on its colour. The cock is a messenger of God and symbolises fertility.

• Design your own combination of these two forms.

• Although worn by a men, Bamana masks have genders - the number of spikes on this mask indicates if it masculine (3 spikes), feminine (4 or 8) or androgynous (2, 5 or 7). Which is this?

• The antelope is a symbol of cultivation and success in agriculture.

MATERIALS

• Examine these masks from different regions closely and compare the different materials they are made from.

• What different processes have been used to create these masks? Be specific about the different techniques.

• How would it feel to wear each of these masks? Imagine the weight and sound.

MATERIALS

Mask (kifwebe)Songye, 19th century ADFrom the Democratic Republic of Congo

Mask of vegetable fibre, hair and red abrus seeds Angas people, mid-20th century ADNorthern Nigeria

• These masks are made of a wide variety of natural materials, including seeds, vegetable fibres, skins and wood.

• What is the effect on the texture and the colour by using natural materials?

• Research the areas where they come from – what other natural materials do you think you might find there?

Brass helmet mask for the Ododua ritualEdo peoples, 18th century ADFrom Benin, Nigeria

MASKS FOR DISPLAY

Ivory maskEdo peoples, probably 16th century ADFrom Benin, Nigeria

• Read the captions. Do you think these masks were made to be worn?

• Who do you think they depict? Man or woman? High or low status? Why do you think this?

• Research how they were used and displayed and what they mean.

• Where is this mask from? How can you tell?

• What was it used for? Where would it be displayed? Who would have seen it being worn?

• Compare this with other masks made for people after their deaths – what are the various reasons for doing this?

• Do death masks conceal anything?

MASK FOR THE AFTERLIFE

Wooden helmet maskMende people, Sierra LeoneEarly 20th century AD

MASKS AND GENDER

Sokari Douglas Camp, Big Masquerade with boat and household on his head Nigeria, AD 1995

Most masks were worn and made by men. The mask on the left was worn by women at an initiation ceremony.

The masquerade figure on the right was made by a female Nigerian artist.

• Find out more about Sokari Douglas Camp’s work and how she discusses gender relations.

Key points to explore when examining any object:

MATERIALS – what it was made of (and what this can tell us about the culture)

ORIGIN and AGE – when and where it was made

PROCESS – how it was made (carved, chiselled, tiled, woven, beaded)

PURPOSE – what it was used for

MEANING – what it means or symbolises

Find out more about masks and Africa

Visit the main Museum website

www.britishmuseum.org

Use Explore to look at some of our masks

www.britishmuseum.org/explore/introduction.aspx