Grassland, Cameroon

Ceremonial mask. The Grassland region, in southwest Cameroon, is divided into 90 small independent kingdoms and chiefdoms, whose powers are counterbalanced by male and female societies. All young boys belong to associations based on age classes, covering periods of five years each, focusing on military and technical apprenticeship. Masks and masquerades are normally associated with a variety of men’s societies, most of which are ultimately linked to the palace and the king. Each society has its special house, its own masks, costumes, dances, and secret language. Each acts on behalf of the king to establish order and to preserve the social and religious structure of the kingdom. Such masks do not cover the face of the wearer but rather tops a kind of bamboo cage surrounded by a collar of palm fibers. The mask came from the territory inhabited by the Tikar ethnic group.

Material:  wood

Size: 16½”x9½”x10”

Price:  $30+$27 (S&H)                                           [#S1G2M577]