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Lulua Masks: Faces From an Ethnic Crossroads in the Congo
New: the 2nd edition of Within Carved Lines: The Secret Meanings of African Masks is out now. Get the book → “Lulua” is not really the name of one people. It is an umbrella term for a large number of heterogeneous groups who settled near the Lulua River, between the Kasai and Sankuru rivers in…
Makonde Lipiko Mask: Initiation, Spirits, and Transformation in Tanzania
The Makonde people of Tanzania and Mozambique create elaborate helmet masks used in male initiation ceremonies. Discover the symbolism of the Lipiko tradition.
Kanaga Mask of the Dogon: The Cross-Shaped Mask of Mali’s Funeral Rites
New: the 2nd edition of Within Carved Lines: The Secret Meanings of African Masks is out now. Get the book → Of all the mask forms carved and danced across Africa, the Kanaga mask of the Dogon people is one of the most visually distinct: a carved wooden face is topped by a tall, double-barred…
Dengese Statues: A Body Carved Without Legs So the Torso Can Carry a Text
New: the 2nd edition of Within Carved Lines: The Secret Meanings of African Masks is out now. Get the book → Several traditions documented in this book carve figures whose missing anatomy is the whole point, but the Dengese take the idea somewhere unusually literal. North of the Kuba kingdom in the Democratic Republic of…
Gurunsi Masks: Seven Peoples United Under a Name Their Rivals Gave Them
New: the 2nd edition of Within Carved Lines: The Secret Meanings of African Masks is out now. Get the book → Most tribal names documented in this book come from within: a people’s own word for itself. Gurunsi is different. It is a collective term covering the Gurensi, Kasena, Lyele, Nuna, Nunuma, Sisala, and Winiama,…
Exposing African Mask Secrets Again
Photo by The Cleveland Museum of Art on Unsplash I was warned about exposing the secrets of African masks to foreigners, but I did not listen. Actually, I wrote a book about it. The book is titled Within Carved Lines. And now you’d think that I’ll have regrets, but unfortunately, I dont. Here’s why… Growing…