We (Gere, Guere, Guere Wobe, Wee), Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire

Bugle face mask. The We live in the southwest of the forested Côte d’Ivoire and the southeast of Liberia. They are in fact two separate tribes – the Guere (also known as Ngere) and the Wobe – although they share numerous customs and beliefs. The most striking feature of the We masks is often a combination of diverse materials that lends these masks tremendous expressive force. The present grotesque mask represents a male forest spirit. Formerly, bugle masks carried out important social control functions, including judicial decisions, law enforcement, criminal punishment, fine collection, and dispute settlement. Their aggressive, lively performance was intended to instruct in proper behavior, although in recent decades this punitive power has declined.

Material: wood, metal, textile, animal hair

Size: H. 11”, W. 6”, D. 6”

Price: $200 + $23 (S&H)                                    [#E2W9M686]