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Why African Masks Are Not Home Décor
In many parts of the world, an African mask is commonly used as decoration. It may hang on a living room wall, sit on a shelf, or be placed as a centrepiece in a modern interior. While visually striking, this use of African masks represents a complete shift from their original cultural purpose. Traditionally, African…
Bobo Masks: How the Bobo-Fing Cleanse a Village’s Mistakes With a Mask Called Dwo
New: the 2nd edition of Within Carved Lines: The Secret Meanings of African Masks is out now. Get the book → Among the Bobo, a mask is not primarily a portrait, a costume, or even a spirit’s dwelling place. It is closer to an instrument of debt repayment. The Bobo believe that human beings are…
Why an African Mask Feels Like It Is Calling Out to You
Many people who encounter an African mask—in a gallery, market, private collection, or museum—say something strikingly similar: “I acquired this African mask because it called out to me.” This experience is far more common than people realize. Across continents and cultures, individuals report feeling a strong emotional, energetic, or intuitive pull toward a specific African…
Biombo Masks: A People Known Mostly by Comparison to Their Neighbors
New: the 2nd edition of Within Carved Lines: The Secret Meanings of African Masks is out now. Get the book → Some peoples in this book are documented through pages of ritual detail, named ceremonies, and recorded myth. The Biombo are documented mostly through resemblance. Their masks carry surface decoration close to that of the…
What Is an African Mask? A Beginner’s Guide to Meaning and History
What is an African mask? People ask this question more often than you would think, and most of the answers they find online are thin. A single photo. A caption that says “tribal mask.” Nothing about who carved it, who wore it, or what it was for. That is the gap this piece is here…
Chokwe Cikungu Mask: Chiefs, Ancestors, and Power in Angola
The Cikungu mask represents chiefly authority among the Chokwe people of Angola, DRC, and Zambia. Learn how it is used and what it communicates.
