African Masks - The African Tribal Artist African masks should be seen as part of a ceremonial costume. They are used in religious and social events to represent the spirits of ancestors or to control the good and evil forces in the community. They come to life, possessed by their spirit in the performance of the dance, and are enhanced by both the music and atmosphere of the occasion. Some combine human and animal features to unite man with his natural environment. This bond with nature is of great importance to the African and through the ages masks have always been used to express this relationship.

Can you identify the natural, animal or spiritual elements of these masks?

African Masks - The African Tribal Artist The African tribal artist's training, which may last many years, involves the knowledge of traditional carving techniques and how these apply to the social and religious objects he creates. His craft can be learned as an apprentice in the workshop of a master carver, or sometimes these skills are passed down from father to son through many generations of his family.

African Masks - The African Tribal Artist The artist holds a respected position in African tribal society. It is his job to provide the various masks and sculptures for use in ritual ceremonies. His work is valued for its spiritual, rather than its aesthetic qualities.

African Masks - The African Tribal Artist When artists and collectors in the West first took an interest in African Art, they did not appreciate its social or spiritual function. African art was simply viewed as a naive genre with a strong visual impact. At the dawn of the 20th century, European artists were looking for new forms of expression that challenged, rather than simply illustrated, their rapidly changing world of ideas and technology. The traditional techniques of realism and perspective seemed overworked and predictable. The expressive power of African art was fundamental to this revolution and to the development of the first modernist styles: Cubism, Fauvism and Expressionism. http://www.artyfactory.com/africanmasks/context/artist.htm

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Dan Mask Head of a Woman, (oil on canvas, 1907)

André Derain (1880-1954) Portrait of Henri Matisse

"African Masks" by Jim Charter (2002)

Looking closely, one can see a bunch of little faces - these are carved on top of the head like a crown, as well as around the neck like a collar. These represent Portuguese traders, who actively traded with the Benin people at the time.

Before cutting down a tree, the mask-maker has to visit a wizard to undergo a purification ceremony and make a sacrifice to the spirit of the tree. This purification ceremony protects the mask-maker against the rage of the tree spirit.

Once the first blow is struck with the axe, the mask-maker puts his lips to the tree and sucks out a small amount of sap. This makes him become a part of the tree’s “family.” After the tree is cut down, it must be left alone for a few days for the tree spirit to find another dwelling. Even after the tree is chopped down, it continues to have miraculous powers, requiring the mask-maker to follow specific rules and practices.

When the mask-carver starts carving, he cannot freely make whatever shape he wishes. The first rule is that the mask must represent his own ethnic group (of which there are over 1,000 ethnic groups). If not, he risks the anger of his entire village, and the rage of the tree spirit. While the mask is taking shape, it is believed that the powers of the wood are increasing.

When the mask is finished, the wizard must hold a consecration ceremony which turns the mask into a dwelling place for the spirit to which it is dedicated, and afterward, the mask can be used in religious ceremonies.