AboutAfricanMasks

1. Africanmaskshavebeenatraditionfor
manygenerations.

2. Manydifferentmaterialshavebeenused
inthemakingofmasks.Materialsrange
fromleather,metal,fabrictovarious
typesofwood.

3. Africanmasksareconsideredoneofthe
finestcreationsintheartworldandare
highlysoughtafterbyartcollectors.

4. Masksalsoprovideinspirationtomanycontemporaryartists.Pablo
Picassowasinspiredbytheboldabstractdesignsthatwere
discoveredinAfricantribalmasks.

5. ThesignificanceofmasksinAfricaiscloselyassociatedwiththe
culturalandtraditionalmeaningsthatAfricanpeopleassigntothem.

6. Tribalmasksareoftenusedatreligiousandceremonialevents

7. Africanmasksareusuallyworn
inceremoniessuchascelebrations,
cropharvesting,war,peaceand
troubletimes.


8. Therearemultiplewaysinwhichthedancerwearsthemasks:
verticallycoveringtheface,ashelmets,andascrest,restingupon
thehead.

9. Masksoftencanrepresentaspiritanditisacceptedinsome
societiesthatwhenthedancerwearsmask,thespiritoftheir
ancestorswouldshowthroughthedancer.

10. InAfrica,masksofhumanancestorsareseenasobjectsoffamily
pride.

11. Oneimportantelementin
Africanmaskistheboldpattern.Bold
designsareseenasapowerfuland
expressiveelementinAfricanmask
design.

12. Mostpatternstendtobe
geometricalandsymmetricalandare
presentedasaformofcoded
information.Parallellines,zigzaglines,
curvedandspirallines,represent
sacrificeandovercomingchallengesin
life.


13. Diamondshapesrepresentsocialstatusorhavemagicalor
religiouspowers.

14. Maleandfemalemaskscouldsometimesbedistinguishedbythe
differentgeometricpatternsused.Braids,checks,andtriangles
acrosstheheadsometimesrepresentafemininepersonality.

15. Tribesoftenhaveaspecificshapethatrepresentsvaluesofthe
tribe.

16. Colorsarechosenwithmeaningandpurposeaswell.Red
representsdeaths,showscourageandstrength,Yellowshows
happinessandwarmth,greensrelatestonature,bluestandsfor
safety,water,cold,andtrust,Purpleshowscreativityandroyalty.