Senufo Style Carved Wooden Kpelie Mask

Item Details

A carved wooden mask in the style of a Senufo kpelie mask. The Senufo are an African ethnolinguistic group found in parts of Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Mali. The kpelie mask is used in initiation ceremonies for boys, adolescents, and adults; funerals, and harvest celebrations. The elongated mask features a hornbill bird on top. The hornbill bird is an important cultural symbol for the Senufo, thought to be one of the five primordial creatures along with crocodiles, tortoises, chameleons, and snakes. Unmarked.

Condition

- damage to the wood along the left side of the mouth, the right eye, and along the bird’s bill; item has a strong odor.

Dimensions

Item #

17NYC999-309