Description
Large Old African Mask. I think it's really old, 19th to early 20th century.<br>Nice estate fresh ceremonial mask covered in hide with some wear as shown.<br>15"high, 10"wide, 12.5"deep, crack in forehead, a few of the horns are a little<br>loose.<br><br>The Bete and Gere people reside in Ivore' Coast, just south of the Guro. ,<br>omnipresent in Bete life, aims to maintain a harmonious relationship between<br>nature and the ancestors, who are responsible for the welfare of the tribe.<br>Elaborate masquerades and ceremonies are performed by the men of the tribe who<br>belong to dance societies.According to the book, THE TRIBAL ARTS OF AFRICA<br>byBacquart: "Bete carvers are renowned for one particular type of face mask<br>which has exaggerated features- a large protruding mouth,an elongated nose,with<br>nostrils sometimes extending to each side of the face, and globular eyes set<br>beneath a high domed forehead carved with a medium ridge. Historically, this<br>type of mask was worn to prepare men for war; nowadays,it is worn for a variety<br>of ceremonies, including entertainment dances." These masks were influenced by<br>the tradition of their western neighbors, the "We". The Bete grew only what was<br>needed for a subsistence economy and placed more importance on the hunt. To<br>render the hostile forces of the forest material, they sculpted a type of mask<br>that would provoke terror: the "gre", with its grimacing face, distorted<br>features facial protuberances, bulging forehead. The Bete live in the<br>southwestern part of the country, between the Akan ethnic groups to the east and<br>the Guro tribe to the north. They number about 600,000 and are an agricultural<br>group. Patrilinear, the Bete live – under the ancestors’ authority – in small<br>“headless” villages. Historically they were hunters, but nowadays they also<br>farm. They grow what is needed for a subsistence economy. They also have linked<br>to the market economy and much of their effort is devoted to the cultivation of<br>cacao and coffee. , omnipresent in Bete life, aims to maintain a harmonious<br>relationship between nature and the ancestors who are responsible for the<br>welfare of the tribe. Today the vast majority still follow their traditional<br>African , believing in a creator God Lago, but do not pray to or worship him.<br>Instead they seek help from many lesser spirits supposed to have supernatural<br>power to help them, or give protection--spirits of their ancestors, spirits that<br>inhabit trees, rivers, rocks, etc. They observe many customs and taboos and make<br>sacrifices of eggs, chickens, cows, etc. Each ritual focuses on the maintenance<br>and care of good relations with the world of ancestors, so as to assure the<br>protection of the lineages. The cults give rise to numerous mask performances,<br>during the course of which the music assumes fundamental importance. The<br>apprenticeship of male youngsters particularly concentrates on the mastery of<br>these arts. In fact, within a village context the men form into veritable dance<br>societies, membership in which is indispensable. Bete carvers are renowned for<br>one particular type of face mask, the gre or nyabwa , which has exaggerated,<br>grimacing distorted features – a large protruding mouth, facial protuberances,<br>bulging forehead, elongated nose, with nostrils sometimes extending to each side<br>of the face, and globular or bulging slit eyes set beneath a high-domed forehead<br>carved with a medium ridge. In earlier days, this mask presided over the<br>ceremony held when peace was restored after armed conflicts and it participated<br>in sessions of customary justice. This type of mask was also worn to prepare men<br>for war; the masks offered magical protection by instilling fear and terror in<br>potential enemies. Nowadays, it is worn for a variety of ceremonies, including<br>entertainment dances.
