What is a Senufo mask?
What is a Senufo mask?
The Senufo are an ethnic group who live in Côte d’Ivoire, previously called the Ivory Coast. It is a carved wooden helmet mask, which means it is worn over the whole head, and is used in the funerals of the Senufo people.
What are Senufo masks made of?
This Senufo mask, made of copper alloy, was cast in the style of the more widespread masks carved in wood (kpelie or kpele-yehe).
Where is Senufo located?
West Africa
The Senufo people live in West Africa. Experts estimate their population at over 2,500,000. Sharing a common language and culture, the Senufo live in a region that encompasses parts of the nation-states of Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire (also known as Ivory Coast), and Mali.
How old is the Senufo mask?
The site was dated by carbon-14 to about the 15th century ce.
What is distinctive about the Mende mask tradition?
Worn at performances to celebrate the completion of the young initiates’ training period, these masks are finely carved to convey admired feminine features: an elaborate coiffure, a smooth broad forehead, narrowly slit eyes, a small composed mouth, and a sensuously ringed neck.
What is the traditional of the Senufo people?
The Senufo are predominantly an agricul-tural people cultivating millet, yams, peanut, and rice. Daily life for the Senufo people revolves around the religious rituals that enable them to placate deities they respect and fear through means of divination practices and wearing of specially crafted brass jewelry.
What is the population of the Senufo tribe?
The Senufo speaking people range from 800,000 to one million and live in agricultural based communities predominately located in the Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa, Africa.
What is the primary function of masks and masqueraders in traditional African culture?
Many African societies have a rich tradition of masquerades, which are plays, ceremonies, or dances by masked performers. Masquerades provide entertainment, define social roles, and communicate religious meaning. The masks used in such performances may be treasured as works of art.
What does the helmet mask represent?
Within Mende and Sherbro culture, helmet masks are carved with symbolic features intended to endow the wearer with spiritual power. Senior members of two distinct initiation societies, Sande and Humui, may have worn this work in performances.
How is Senufo art made?
All Senufo art is made by specialized artisans, which may diminish regional stylistic differences. Figures representing the ancestors are common, as are brass miniatures and small statues, which are used in divination. There are several types of masks used by the Poro society.
What are the characteristics of the Senufo Society?
Figures representing the ancestors are common, as are brass miniatures and small statues, which are used in divination. There are several types of masks used by the Poro society. The Senufo are made up of a number of diverse subgroups who migrated into their current location from the north during the 15th and 16th centuries.
Who are the Senufo people of Ivory Coast?
Korhogo, an ancient town in northern Ivory Coast dating from the 13th century, is linked to the Senufo people. This separation of languages and sub-ethnic groups may be linked to the 14th-century migrations with its founding along with the Bambara trade-route.
What is the role of Poro in Senufo?
Religion. The main function of Poro is to guarantee a good relationship between the living world and the ancestors. Nerejao is an ancestress who is recognized as the true head of the Poro society. Divination, which is governed by the Sandogo society, is also an important part of Senufo religion.
