Beaded Elephant Mask, Grassland People, Cameroon

Bamileke Kuosi Elephant masks comprise cloth panels and hoods woven from plantain fiber over raffia. On this background glass beads are stitched in geometric patterns. The basic form depicts salient features of the elephant—a long trunk and large ears. The hood fits tightly over the masker's head, and two hanging panels, one behind and one in front, partially conceal the body. The front panel is the elephant trunk, and the two large, stiff circles hinged to either side of the head are its ears, which flap as the masker dances. While the mask symbolizes an elephant, the face is human. Eyeholes provide visibility, and a nose and mouth with teeth are normally present. The glass beads used on these earlier masks were nineteenth-century trade beads of Venetian or Czechoslovakian manufacture, used as well in exchange for slaves. Elephant mask costumes...

The Beaded Royal Headdress is made of a palm tree fibre structure, enfolded with burlap cloth embroided with European glass beads that cover the entire object with geometric symbolic...

This mask dates from the late 19th to early 20th Century. Bamileke elephant masks, worn by the Kuosi society in Cameroon were elaborate beaded masks signifying wealth and power. The ...

Bobo Uele Mask in hand-carved wood from the Bwa tribe in northern part of Burkina Faso. Antilope-shaped mask with human-like face. Painted with white and black color. Provenance:...