The famous white masks of the Punu people were worn during the okuyi performance, one of the rites of mwiri, an important male initiation society spread throughout southern and central Gabon. They are characterized by a face with youthful features, half-closed eyelids under slightly raised arching eyebrows, a fine realistically-rendered nose, a mouth pursed forward with full red-painted lips, painted red, and an elaborate crested coiffure. The hairstyles of these masks can vary. I think all three of the masks shown here may be authentic, but there are many reproductions that look just as good. These repros can be found today for as little as 100 dollars. An authentic Punu maiden…
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More common Guatemalan mask
Q: Could you give me your opinion on this mask from Guatemala? I guess it could be an Alvarado? But I really wonder if it is “old” or just a tourist fake, artificially aged. Jean, 1384 A: This Pedro de Alvarado mask is popular with dancers and collectors. Many of them are reproductions that have been made to look old. This one has been skillfully aged with tinted varnish applications, rubbing, distressing, and probably a few other tricks. And always look at the back. There are no signs of wear. I’m glad that Jean broke my rule of one mask per month. If you look at the previous mask you…
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Rare Guatemalan mask
Q: Could you give me your opinion on this mask from Guatemala? I guess it could be an Alvarado ? But I really wonder if it is “old” or just a tourist fake, artificially aged. PS… Do you think it could represent Pedro Portocarrero ? Jean, 1384 A: With a little more research you got it right. Pedro Portocarrero was one of the key officers in Pedro de Alvarado’s Spanish army that fought the Mayans. Portocarrero is sometimes danced in the Baile de la Conquista. We rarely see masks portraying this particular character. More importantly, we don’t see Guatemalan masks that are both old and used any more. Most of…
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Chinese character mask
Q: I have another mask that I would like to ask you to please look at for me. This one is labeled Taiwan. It is a very dark red wood, perhaps mahogany? It is 1.5″ thick in parts, and is fairly heavy, almost 2 lbs. An interesting feature is that there are 5 holes around the underside of its mouth. There are bristles that have been cut protruding from these holes, which makes me think it must have had whiskers at one time, which someone removed. It measures just about 10″ across, and 9″ in height. Do you have a any ideas about this one’s purpose or origins? It appears…
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Is the Burka a real mask?
A burka is a long, loose garment covering the whole body from head to feet, worn in public by many Muslim women. It does not have to be this color or design, but can vary, depending where you are located in the world of Islam. I think of it as a mask meant to protect women from tempting men and will add it to the “Protection” category in our archive. Do you think it qualifies as a real mask?
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Beautiful Khon mask from Thailand
Q: This is one I researched and found good info on. It was picked up in Thailand, and is a Khon mask, worn by actors in the traditional Ramakien dramas. This particular mask is Thotsaken, who is the chief demon in their Hindu based drama. It is actually three pieces, the first main part that goes over the actor’s head is Thotsaken, the middle piece shows multiple faces and connects to the pleasant looking face on the third top piece, which is supposed to be an angel or female heavenly being. This mask has obviously been used, and it was made with great care and painstaking attention to detail. I…
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Himalayan shaman’s mask
This Nepalese tribal mask is a crude version of a traditional Buddhist monk’s. A village shaman in the Middle Hills region of Nepal would have carved this hardwood by himself in order to perform healing, initiation and other rites. The underlying animist presence among shaman, which is clearly demonstrated here, is a significant contributing factor to the design of this mask. It shows evidence of having had much use, with a natural patina derived exclusively from being handled over many years. That’s animal hair glued to the chin. It is very old. The higher altitude of the Himalayan region greatly contributes to the preservation of wooden objects like this, whose…
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Chinese dragon mask
On the biggest holiday of the year in the most populous country in the world, various masks are worn during week-long celebrations to ring in the new year. Made from materials including stones, metal and leather, these colorful masks are designed to display the moods and emotions associated with the festival. The masks represent the deities, spirits and fabled animals that Chinese New Year mythology originated from. This one is the famous dragon of the New Year’s parade. Because of the huge Chinese diaspora you can see them in many countries around the world. In yesterday’s post there are some masks that are only seen in a few, small countries…
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West African mask festival
Every second year, there is a gathering of villagers each having their own tradition and sets of masks. Dedougou, a small city located in the west of Burkina Faso, hosts the largest international art and mask festival. In 2016, its 20th anniversary, you could see masks from around 50 different villages all over Burkina Faso, Senegal, Togo, Mali, Côte d’Ivoire, and Benin. For thousand of years there have been animist belief around in West Africa, in which masks play a central role, especially for remembrance rituals symbolizing the rhythm of life. They are made from textile, straw, wood and leaves for the worship of spirits and ancestors. According to traditional…
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New Guinea wood carving
Q: I recently acquired a PNG yam ceremony carving from the Netherlander and remembered that you had a yam god mask posted on your website. Maybe you are not interested in carvings but I figure I will share them with you and as always, I’m very interested in hearing your opinions. Photos are stock, carvings are currently in transit. David, 1376 A: Your carving is certainly from Papua New Guinea and a very handsome piece of folk art. I’ve never seen a yam mask this long and narrow. How tall is it? What is that little knob for on the bottom? Perhaps you can find someone who specializes in PNG or oceanic…
