African Helmet Masks Essay

On the caves in Tassili n’Ajjer, Algeria, around 6,000-4,000 B.C.E of the Neolithic Period, an artist created an example of parietal art called The Running Horned Woman. Although the artist remains unknown, most historians believe that the Running Horned Woman emerged from the Tuareg, the nomadic indigenous people of the region who farmed and shepherded. Through the artwork and the Tuareg culture, many historians suspect the land of Tassili n’Ajjer transformed from a region full of grasslands to a desert. The artist of the Running Horned Woman creates this piece with a variety of elements of art, such as line, color, and space, and principles of design, such as movement, proportion, and emphasis. By selecting these elements and principles, the artwork focuses on the woman of the piece as the main subject.

Identify: On the cloak, there is a man, who is interpreted as Powhatan. On either side of him, there are deer who appear to be worshiping him. There are also multiple circles, each representing the one of chief’s tribes, surrounding Powhatan and the deer. All of these figures consist of shells and they are placed on deerskin.

There are numerous types of masks that come from the West African region, each represent a specific personality trait. Masks from Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Ghana, Senegal, Mali, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Gambia, and Sierra Leone all symbolize the various characteristics that can found in people. To find a mask that best fit my personality, I researched the various amount of masks that can be found in Ghana. Birds have been an important part in ancient animist cultures, whose tribal people believed that birds had spirits and played special roles in many aspects of life. Several African masks depict a bird on or above a human forehead, signifying a range of personalities from courage to intelligence. One of these masks is the Sonu Bird

The inside of the mask shows a man sitting with his legs bent in front of him while his arms are open and stretched to his sides. His facial features consist of sharp cheekbones, a wide triangular nose, a goat-t, a thin

The sisawk Mask is dated “before 1919” by the Museum of Anthropology, although it was acquired through donation on March 26th, 1979. The donator is not provided on the Museum’s online catalogue, and no further information of the personal history of this mask is provided. However, the general information on the Nuxalk peoples and the purposes of their sisoak masks is provided for viewers, by the Museum of Anthropology. This type of mask was used for an initiation of the peoples, and the imagery of the eagle was only used by the Nuxalk peoples for initiations into the sisoak society. The event of the initiation would occur mostly during potlatches, where “a masked figure embodying” the initiate’s family totem (a symbol of the family’s history)

Alaniz stated that the indigenous people created the mask to be used in the war against their corrupt government. Since the mask was worn during a time of war, the solid red color of the mask could symbolize the blood of the fallen. The use of thin fabrics and the thin glued on strap show the minimal amount of

With such a diverse culture Sierra Leone is bound to have many distinct characteristics in its art which can be seen in the Nowo Masks. The Nowo Masks serve as pieces women wear during their induction into womanhood in

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.

to believe the mask wearing is anything other than a burden, a dark shadow in a supposedly free society.

This piece title “Mask” was made in Central Mexico, Mixtec (Mixtec) and was created around ca. 1000/1500. The condition of this mask does impair my ability to fully evaluate because it is not whole. I was interested mostly in the materials used to create it because the mask seems to be made with wood, shell, and turquoise. With the natural materials that were used to create the piece, for me it gave almost a living aspect to inanimate object. This piece, like the Jaguar mask created similar questions of what was the use of this piece in the society when it was created. However, this mask did not seem as dynamic as the jaguar mask because it did not have the holes where it would be worn. This piece for me makes me think about the resources

Venetian masks are typically used to hide the identity or social status of celebrators. With these masks, which are characterized by bright storylines along with colors because they become like the characters in Commedia dell'Arte ( a form of theater that depicts characters through masks). Some traditional masks are Bauta, Columbina, and etc. The Bauta mask is a traditional mask that covers the face, which makes it hard for wearers to do normal things that pertain to their face, such as eating, drinking and etc. In the 18th century, the Bauta was popularized because citizens are required to wear the mask while making decisions in relation to politics or governmental issues. Next, there is the Columbina mask which is an elegant mask that is decorated with various feathers, jews, and other expensive decorations. This mask was popularized by an actress in Commedia dell’Arte who retained the same name. In essence, masks are the essential part of Carnival and continue to be the main driving force for fun

The Bwoom mask is a historical African mask from the late 19th to early 20th century. It was made for the Kuba people in the Democratic Republic of Congo and was made to look like a spirit. Depending on the version on myth, the Bwoom mask could either represent the king’s younger brother, a prince, or a commoner. The Bwoom mask is a ceremonial mask although it does not appear at funerals.

A mask is generally worn to conceal one’s identity, although the way that the mask is used and for what purpose are very different from culture to culture. Two masks that demonstrate this are the Kifwebe mask of the Songye peoples from the Democratic Republic of the Congo from the late 19th-early 20th century and the Ritual mask of the Aztecs from the early 16th century C.E. The Kifwebe mask was made of wood, paint, fiber, cane, and gut. It was made for the Bwadi Bwa Kifwebe association, a type of police who provided a means of controlling social behavior and neutralizing disruptive situations. There is great variety in the Kifwebe masks, and the one in particular that is being discussed here represents a female. The overall size of the mask is small, the color is predominately white, and the lips protrude out of the mask. White is the dominant color in female masks and is said to be associated with purity and the spirits; whereas red is the dominant color in male masks and is said to be associated with blood and power. The ritual mask of the Aztec is composed of tiny turquoise mosaic squares that follow the curves of the face and white pearl shell serves as the teeth and eyes. Aztec life centered around ceremonies of song and dance where the ritual masks were often worn. Both masks serve the purpose of concealing one’s identity, yet the Kifwebe mask was used for policing the community while the ritual mask was used in a ceremony of song and

There were different types of masks for example there is the bautta mask which covers the whole face and it was a traditional piece of art . To describe the mask you can say it has a stubborn chin line , it has no mouth and has lots of gliding . There is also the Columbina and it is also known as Columbine and Columbino , and this mask is a half mask and it is often highly decorated with gold , silver , crystals and feathers . This mask is held up to the face by a baton or it could also be tied up with ribbons as with most other Venetian masks . Another mask is

African art has played an important role in the culture of the world. The sculpture is the most common traditional culture expression for the African art. The different sculptures are shown by their local styles and they serve for the specific functions, such as religion. From some of these old art pieces, we figure out this kind of traditional culture expression already existed in the African for such a long time. In this paper, the art piece I am going to analyze is the Female Figure with Child and it made by Akan-Asante people. The Akan people of Ghana have been recognized for their various and attractive culture and it located in what are today Ivory Coast and the republic of Ghana in Western African. The Akan people are combined by different groups, such as the Anyi, Akawpim, Akyem, Aowin and Asante, and these people have their own dialect, but they share a lingua franca, which called Twi. The sculpture I choose could effectively reflect its own distinctive culture, because of the social connection reflect on the royalty, the comparison with other local art pieces, like Akuaba fertility dolls and its specific art form.