Grassland, Cameroon

Ceremonial mask. The grassland region, in southwest Cameroon, is a hilly and mountainous area covered by an equatorial forest in the south and a savannah in the north. The area is divided into 90 small independent kingdoms and chiefdoms, whose powers are counterbalanced by male and female societies. This area of western Cameroon, encompassing many small kingdoms, is one of the richest art-producing areas of Africa. All young boys belong to association 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. The Bamileke and the Bamum wore this kind of highly artistic masks during the public and royal festivities. 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.

Material: wood, beads, vegetable fiber

Size: 16”x 11”x 5”

Price:   $ 275+$24 (S&H)                                                [#S8G1M684]