Grassland, Cameroon

Ceremonial mask. The northern part of Cameroon has been Islamized and has no sculpture; on the other hand, the savannas of the west, the Grassland, are composed of three ethnic groups with ancestors in common. There are the one million Bamileke spread over the southwestern plateaus, in communities that have from 50,000 to 100,000 people; the 500,000 Bamenda-Tikar in the north; and, finally, the Bamum in the northwest, with a population of 80,000. This rather unusual mask came from the Bamileke region. Most of the meanings of the masks in this region are now lost.

Material: wood

Size: 11½”x 4½”x 5½”

Price:  $180+$18 (S&H)                                                             [#S3G1M716]