African American Masks Essay

The Kwakiutl Indian tribe existed before the discovery of North America by the European culture and inhabited the coast of the Pacific Northwest of the United States and British Columbia in Canada. The tribe is rich in tradition and culture and has remained steadfast in their beliefs, history, teachings and artisan skills which have been passed down generation to generation. The artisans in the Kwakiutl tribe mastered the art of creating special ceremonial masks that are not only beautiful and aesthetically interesting to the eye, but also mechanically intriguing in which the masks serve a specific purpose to a theme during different ceremonies that are conducted by tribal specialists during certain times throughout the year.

Equality’s Mask A mask is something that covers all or part of the face, worn to hide one's identity. A mask can also be defined as anything that disguises or conceals a person or an object. People often use masks because they do not want others to think poorly of them.

masks. All the mask that one possesses changes their behavior and in turn, adds to their

For example, in order to camouflage himself from the pigs, Jack decides to paint his face with clay and charcoal. His masked features are so appalling that it frightens Bill, Samneric, and Roger. “He [Jack] began to dance and his laughter became a bloodthirsty snarling. He capered toward Bill, and the mask was a thing of its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness” (64). Jack is menacingly “capering” toward his hunters, incredibly excited by his ingenious idea. The mask is symbolic of Jack’s barbarity materializing, no longer lingering within him. Behind the mask, Jack is free from principled behaviour therefore he can act as ruthless as he wishes, without the fear of being reprimanded. Coincidentally, as Ralph and Piggy are discussing the causes of controversy on the island, Jack and four of his hunters appear suddenly, painted for war and naked. They have come to steal fire in order to cook the pig that they killed. “The forest near them burst into an uproar. Demoniac figures with faces of white and red and green rushed out howling, so that the littluns fled in terror” (140). Their ghastly appearance and savage-like shrieking is terrifying to the civilized boys. The “faces of white and red and green” symbolize Jack’s inhumanity spreading to more of his followers, gradually replacing their morality with disdain. With the masks on,

African masks range from small and plain to being decorated with bright colours and intricate detail that cover the face of the wearer, or be large enough to conceal the entire body. Many tribes believed the person that donned the mask took on the spirit it represented. Different masks that mix human and animal forms also celebrated the bond between the animal and human worlds. Conversely, this same mix and reverence are also evident in Native American culture and ceremonies as well as other cultures worldwide.

Masks have held countless uses and meanings throughout history. Masks have been used in plays, like those of Shakespeare, traditional dances, social gatherings, even as a form of casual or corporal punishment. Although masks have several different uses in different cultural situations, the meaning of the masks is generally the same. Masks are used to conceal an appearance and assume the identity of another. Metaphorically, masks can be used to hide feelings, to protect oneself, and to block out the outside world. Many of these examples are shown in Art Speigelman 's Maus.

Masks are one of the most spiritually important art forms developed in Africa. Among the masks many uses were; communicating with spirits and ancestors, serving as teaching aids in gender specific initiation ceremonies, tools for maintaining order, enhancements for reenacted stories and myths, symbols of rank and power, and a record for past leaders. I will be focussing on masks from the first three categories. The masks, which are all Helmet style masks from West and Central Africa, illustrate how artists from different tribes approached symbolism and visual storytelling. They also show what was considered ideally beautiful for each clan.

The theme of masks is a significant theme throughout the book through the book. In all war people use

A great example of an African mask is Bayaka Mask. This mask is used for a form of rite. When a boy reaches puberty he is circumcised. After this is done, the boy is removed from the village for one year of seclusion from women. During this time, the boy is taught to hunt and protect by fellow men from the village. To end the one year confinement, a ceremony is held when the boy and his teachers return in the Bayaka Masks. Sculptures are another form of African Art that is very important to its history.

I chose to make these features stand out because they each symbolize something important in the novel. For example, Piggy’s glasses symbolize intelligence while the clay on Jack’s face symbolizes savagery. I chose the colors I did because I was trying to make the mask look as realistic as possible. For instance, I painted the clay on Jack red and white because the book stated he smeared red and white clay on his face. I also chose to paint my mask coral so that it looked like skin and not just a white background of clay.

I chose to do my artwork analysis a little differently this time around. Since I have done a few missions into Africa and was able to see the different cultures first hand. One thing that I noticed immediately how much these tribes like to separate themselves among other tribes and how their spirits affect everything that they do on a daily basis. I chose to conduct my artwork analysis on a traditional African tribe mask. For me this is one of the most iconic pieces of artwork that one can see when looking into the African culture. There are too many different masks to list, so I am only looking into one specific mask and tribe.

Masks, an article by George Ulrich, states, “In ‘play’ these children and adults are able to become something they are not; something that cannot be... One of the most important things that masks do is transform the identity of the wearer…” These parts of the text shows how masks can change them and who the wearers really are. This affects people because they spend their life being someone that they aren’t. Some would say that they help people become a person that they want to be.

The mask has a square jaw line often pointed and tilted upwards to enable the wearer to talk, eat and drink easily without having to

naturalistic shapes were combined to represent a recognizable human face. As part of the daily ritualistic routine, families would often present offerings to cult figures, full-body images kept in homes as insurance of protection. The decorative arts, especially in textiles and in the ornamentation of everyday tools, were a vital art in nearly all African cultures. Wood was one of the most frequently used materials—often embellished by clay, shells, beads, ivory, metal, feathers, and shredded raffia.

     Masks were created to be placed over the face, on the top of the head, or even over the head. Most masks represent spirits of ancestors (Fetzer 106). Some villages make masks with full costumes and use them with music to dance in ritual performances. They used masks for social control,