Senufo Kpeliyee Mask

  • Product Code: SEN2-152
  • Dimensions: 6" x 16" x 8"
  • Availability: In Stock
  • USD $

    527.00

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The Senufo are scattered across the Ivory Coast, Mali, and Burkina Faso. They inhabit villages governed by a council of elders, who in turn are led by a chief elected from their number. Tribal cohesion is reinforced through the rituals of the Poro society, who initiate and educate men from the age of seven onwards. Senufo theology is based on Koulotiolo, a powerful god, and Katieleo, a goddess mother, who through the rituals of the Poro society, regenerates the world. Anthropomorphic face masks of wood are made by carvers (Kulebele) for the Poro societies to which they belong. The masks appear as diversions towards the conclusion of elaborate funerals of society members, and nowadays sometimes dance on secular occasions such as visits from important persons or tourists. The masks invariably represent an idealized female face wtih charming features, and the formerly common tattoos. The scar on the forehead of this mask is intended to symbolize the vulva, and alludes to a ritual in the final phase of initiation in which adepts enter a symbolic union with the Poro society. This mask is worn during ceremonies related to the Poro society. This mask may also be attributed to the neighboring Ligbi tribe, who are known to make face masks with pointed chins, semi-closed eyes, and raised scarifications framed by wings. Given the close proximity of many African tribes, and the cross-pollinization of cultural and artistic differences, correct tribal attribution is sometimes more of an art than an exact science. -Bacquart -Prestel/Phillips

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