Early 20th Century Abstract Tapa Headdress, Santa Cruz Island, Solomon Islands

Antique Dida Woman’s Plaited Loin Cloth, Ivory Coast This unusual textile is made from hand-plaited raffia fiber that is then tie or stitch-resist dyed with natural pigments, creati...

20th Century bark cloth painting, Mbuti (Efe) people, Ituri Forest, D. R. Congo A painted barkcloth from the Efe people in the Ituri forest of no...

Large openwork crest mounted upon a woven basketry cap. The large, square decorative panel bears a central reptilian or stylized crocodile depiction with alternating squared painted ...

"Mossi Head dress Mas ceremonies Rep Upper Volta" is a wood sculpture that includes various other materials such as fabric, and fibers. An abstracted animal with a hump and a bird on it's back make up the top of the headdress. 27" x 6" x 1" The Mossi states were created about 1500 A.D., when bands of horsemen rode north from what is now northern Ghana into the basin of the Volta River and conquered several less powerful peoples, including Dogon, Lela, Nuna, and Kurumba. These were integrated into a new society call Mossi, with the invaders as chiefs and the conquered as commoners. The Mossi make both political art and spiritual art. Figures are used by the ruling class to validate political power, and masks are used by the conquered peoples to control the forces of nature. The several mask styles reflect the diversity of the population before the 15th century invasion. Long tall masks...