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The Lost TRUTH About African Masks
New: the 2nd edition of Within Carved Lines: The Secret Meanings of African Masks is out now. Get the book → 2nd Edition Within Carved Lines: The Secret Meanings of African Masks Go deeper into the stories behind the masks you just read about. Within Carved Lines uncovers the history, symbolism, and ritual meaning…
Luba Kifwebe Mask: Stripes, Spirit, and Power in Central Africa
The striped Kifwebe mask of the Luba and Songye peoples is one of the most visually distinctive in all of African art. Here is the story behind the design.
Where African Masks Are Traditionally Kept and Why
An African mask was never meant to exist everywhere. In traditional African societies, masks were carefully placed, moved, and stored according to clear cultural rules. These rules were not arbitrary. They reflected deep understandings of space, function, timing, and social order. This article explains where African masks were traditionally kept, why those locations mattered, and…
Senufo Kpelie Mask: The Face Mask of Ancestors and Initiation
Used in Poro society initiations across Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Mali, the Senufo Kpelie is an ancestor-honouring masterpiece.
Chamba Masks: A Skull-Shaped Helmet and the Girl Who Was Really a Buffalo
New: the 2nd edition of Within Carved Lines: The Secret Meanings of African Masks is out now. Get the book → Most masks in this book represent a single, coherent idea, an ancestor, a spirit of the bush, a moral category of the dead. The Chamba mask, worn along the Benue River in Cameroon and…
