Q:  I bought this rather large masks at a flea market where an African man was selling several masks from his van.  It is around two feet long.  I paid fifty dollars for it, but now am wondering if I made a smart purchase or not.  Any opinions?  Fred, 1363 A:  This is a reproduction of mask that the Bobo people of Burkina Fasso made for sale to exporters or tourists. It has been artificially aged and is recently made. Fifty dollars is a fair price. My knowledge of West African traditional art is limited so I can’t explain why it would combine the features of an antelope and a…

This Dogon mask representing a rabbit is about 40 years old. I’m not sure about the second one.The Dogon people have created more than eighty mask types to represent characters in their cosmic myths. They are worn in large numbers in funeral dances. The Dogon use such dances to lead the homeless souls of the deceased to their final resting places in the world of spirit, where they become part of the ancestor realm. Certain masks act out stories in addition to dancing. An example of this is the dyommo mask (rabbit) which performs with the dannana mask (hunter). The hunter pretends to hunt the several rabbit masks performing with…

Elephant masks from the Bamileke people of the Cameroon Grassfields are one of the most flamboyant to be seen anywhere in West Africa. The circular disks are the elephant’s ears and the double panel hanging down represents the trunk. They are large and very decorative. Today they are still are worn by Bamileke men’s societies for special celebrations, and some are sold to art exporters. Never cheap because of all the work that goes into them, you can find affordable ones on the Internet.

Q:  I recently picked up this for my friend who collects masks from an estate sale in Southern California. Unfortunately the owner was not present but someone told me they thought it resembled a mask they bought from an Ivory Coast tribe. They were originally asking $300 but I got it from a friend who was working the sale on the last day for $125. It appears to be made of a composite type wood because it has little fibers present here and there. It measure 22″ x 8″.  Eric, 1347 A:  This came the day after the Lega mask on the right. It is a classic Baule ancestor mask…

   Q:  I have been trying to identify this mask for a while now.  It was a thrift shop purchased , and all I know is that it looks like it was from Africa.  The mask measures 14″ high x 8″ wide.  It looks like it was exposed to water at one time.   Steven, 1346 A:  This carving looks like many Lega masks that could be found in the large area of the eastern DRC which is home to this ethnic group. It probably was made there for visiting tourists or the worldwide collector market. Or it could have been made somewhere else. It would fit into any collection…

Here is a well designed and colored Guru mask. It is a little different than others, but at the same time, very much in the classic tradition. Guru mask makers like to express themselves artistically. But it is not authentic and made for commercial purposes only, which lowers the price greatly. Go to the vendor’s page where you’ll see the sale price, plus more photos and information. Guru mask from the Ivory Coast have long been favorites of collectors, especially in the USA.

If you go to this Pinterest site you’ll see over a 100 different Bozo masks from Mali and Burkina Fasso that have been worn in culture. You can still find these colorful artifacts selling for a few hundred dollars. An authentic mask from a more famous tribe in West Africa will cost many thousands.  Those brown, old looking masks you see all over the place almost always are fake reproductions. Wikipedia says: The Bozo are a West African ethnic group located predominantly along the Niger River in Mali. The name Bozo is thought to derive from Bambara bo-so “straw house”; the people accept it as referring to the whole of…

Q: Q:  I recently purchased this mask at an auction on Catawiki. I like it very much but I am not sure how genuine it is. Maybe you can help me with your knowledge. I do know it is a Ngulu Boar/Pig Mask and recent.  Duarte, 1334 A:  The mask is made of wood and painted with brown and black kaolin.The mane is made of strips of curled black fabric. It represents a domesticated pig that performs tricks. These masks are used during magical dance rituals in which the dancer is on all fours. The Chokwe can be found in Angola and the DRC. This mask is a nice reproduction.…

Q:  I’m now in Zambia and have to make a decision regarding what I should collect. There are some options, but the most outstanding ones right now are: spend time and collect original Chewa masks. The other option is to buy from tribal art dealers in Lusaka, which have connections in the Congo, combs and masks from different tribes in Angola, Congo and maybe Tanzania.What would you recommend? The Chewa masks would be original because I would buy them from the same people who use them. (I know it’s very difficult to buy them, but I already managed to buy some from Katete, Zambia, where there are also Chewa peoples). …