Containing nearly 160 artworks, the exhibition senufo. At first, europeans treated masks as ethnographic objects, and displayed them in natural history museums alongside taxidermied animals, exotic plant remains and fossils. The mask in the plu collection belongs to one of these, the ntomo society. Since this is a helmet mask which covers the entire head.
This page provides some information on each of these topics. Divination, or the art of predicting the future and gaining hidden knowledge, plays a big role in the life of the senufo people. This mask is the symbol of the lo, which only initiates may see. An effective history of placebo the active ingredient is knowledge. The kponyungo is a ritual mask created by the senufo people, an ethnolinguistic group residing in africas ivory coast. Art and death in a senufo village traditional arts of africa anita j. A senufo helmet mask, ivory coast a senufo helmet mask, ivory coast, noo, the domed headdress with highly abstract angular face, punctuated by serrated edges and framed by diamondshaped ears leading to two faceted projections at the back for insertion, the broad horns of dramatic sweeping form, framing a stylized animal at the crest. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search. Face masks were not the exclusive domain of senufo poro associations, although some poro members may have worn such face masks and raffia costumes to entertain at the end of funerary ceremonies or on other occasions. Between the fourteenth and eighteenth centuries, as kingdoms rose and fell, many ethnic groups moved in and settled permanently in the region. The ten best history books of 2019 history smithsonian. Predominately adherents to their traditional faith, they once made up a significant part of the kenedougou kingdom, a precolonial state established in the. The yohure are noted for their beautifully crafted masks that combine human and animal features.
Face mask kpeliyee work of art heilbrunn timeline of. This particular mask among other helmet masks are used by various senufo initiation societies. Senufo languages are prevalent in communities located in the threecorner region, an area marked by the convergence of the presentday borders of burkina faso formerly upper volta, cote divoire, and mali. Art and identity in west africa will subsequently also travel to the saint louis art museum and the musee fabre in montpellier, france. Get the best deals on senufo antique african masks when you shop the largest. The senufo senoufo people inhabit the north central area of the ivory coast, neighboring mali and burkina faso, and are centered in the ivory coast city of korhogo. The horns are long and swoop back from the front of the mask. The ten best history books of 2019 our favorite titles of the year resurrect forgotten histories and help explain how we got to where we are today. Types, meanings, history, designs, interesting facts african masks can be considered one of the greatest works of art in africa. The initiation rituals involve masks, figurines, and ritual equipment that the senufo people carve and have perfected. These masks, often looking exact the same, are not copies they are replacements. Senufo definition is a people of the interior of the ivory coast republic and the republic of mali widely known for their wood carving and masks.
The senufo of ivory coast culture and historical facts. Map directory about plu calendar library textbooks. African brass bronze baule senufo art style masks with three. Senufo wooden masks and cloth paintings are among the most renowned in africa.
The closest comparable example is the wellknown mask now in the collection of the detroit institute of arts see kan 1995. They speak at least four distinct languages palaka, dyimini, and senari in cote divoire and suppire in mali, which belong to the gur branch of the nigercongo language family. The masks, known as kpeliyee, feature delicate oval faces with geometric projections at the sides. The senufo of ivory coast culture and historical facts today on the blog, we take a quick look at the famous senufo people predominantly found in west africa, ivory coast. Under the directorship of modernist art historian robert goldwater, the mpa displayed together for the first time ever a stunning array of arts attributed to senufo artists, patrons, and audiences. The first installment focuses on my collection of african masks. Senufo original antique african masks for sale ebay. Chapter 2 the masks of africa outline origins of african masks african world view. These people have a rich and often difficult history in which struggle and displacement were common. The other is of a similar size and design but the details are slightly different. These study images may be digital pointandshoot photographs, when we don\t yet have highquality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object. The masks are used on several occasions throughout the year, including initiations, burials, annual renewal rites associated with planting and harvesting, and ceremonies celebrating the consecration of a new mask.
Vintage kpelie portrait masks and collectable authentic kponyungo firespitter masks profess to facilitate communication with ancestors including kolotyolo, the ancient mother. New yorks now defunct museum of primitive art mpa opened its landmark exhibition senufo sculpture from west africa in february 1963. Like the process of indigo dying, the combination of iron and oxygen causes a black shiny surface. The unmistakable styles of senufo masks include references to animals and human features. Senufo masksenufo kpelie mask, wood, horns, fibre, cotton cloth, feather, metal. Others offered details about the history of the tribe or how they migrated from various areas to their present location. The dallas museum of art is supported, in part, by the generosity of dma members and donors, the citizens of dallas through the city of dallas office of arts and culture, and the texas commission on the arts. Since this is a helmet mask which covers the entire head there is no need to physically attach it to the costume. These societies serve the purpose of instructing young men and women how to be. This is a mask i acquired at an estate sale, the owner of which appeared to be a mask collector. In some books you can read face of an acrobat, dancer or comedien, speaking with the carvers, their translation is face of wood. They are made of different materials which include leather, fabric and various types of wood. Kponyugu masks exhibit many variations in name, style, animal references, and symbolism. The senufo and the use of color senufoarts webseite.
Traditional african masks are one of the elements of great african art that have most evidently influenced europeand western art in general. It also questions the canonical assumptions applied by many academics and culture brokers to the definition and underlying parameters of. The cubism and masks found in senufo pieces were a significant influence for pablo. Figures representing the ancestors are common, as are brass miniatures and small statues, which are used in divination. Inside a senufo helmet mask is organized by the dallas museum of art. African art, art created by the peoples south of the sahara.
The senufo wanyugo helmet wanyugo masks dancers, near korhogo eliot elisofon rezoivoire. The mask in the plu collection is made from wood and crowned with three animal horns. Senufo wear speciallycrafted brass jewelry, such as those mimicking wildlife. In a book on the subject, goldwater juxtaposed american photographer walker evanss 1935 print of. Under the directorship of art historian robert goldwater, the museum displayed together for the first time a stunning array of arts attributed to senufo artists. Each original piece goes through a certification process to guarantee best value and premium quality. There are several types of masks used by the poro society. Now, apart from wearing the mask over the face, the dancer wears a costume that consists of a onepiece suit dyed deep red with painted figurative and geometric patterns art and life in africa. This page was last edited on 16 february 2019, at 14. They have elaborate hairstyles which often include horns, elongated faces with a high forehead, arched eyebrows and a low protruding mouth. The photograph indicates losses to the mask that have since been repaired. The nose, forehead, and temples of the mask s face are. This kind of mask is worn like a helmet by a medium at initiations, funerals, harvest celebrations and secret events conducted by the powerful maleonly komo. The senufo people, also known as siena, senefo, sene, senoufo, and syenambele, are a.
Shop unique, awardwinning artisan treasures by novica, the impact marketplace. Traditional african masks national museum of ghana. Art and death in a senufo village traditional arts of africa glaze, anita j. Traditional african masks the museum building was opened on 5 march 1957 as part of ghanas independence celebrations. There are few exceptions, one example being masquerades directed at the womens society of diviners. Throughout the twentieth century, members of poro, a senufo initiation association, wore small, finely carved face masks as insignia. Ritual and ceremonial masks are an essential feature of the traditional culture and art of the peoples of subsaharan and west africa. Senufo kpelie african cote divoire tribal mask figure and bird on top 20. Get the best deals on senufo antique african masks when you shop the largest online selection at. Franklin collection and exhibited in the seminal 1964 show senufo sculpture from west.
The one that concerns us is the poro society which makes specialized masks that are used to connect with the gods, ancestors, and bush spirits. All structured data from the file and property namespaces is available under the creative commons cc0 license. Cliff pickovers african masks and the quest for transcendence my interests include african masks, tai chi, kung fu, and sushi. The senufo of ivory coast culture and historical facts zoede. Each of these different societies within the bamana culture has its own unique masks.
Senufo mask authentic handcrafted wood african art ceremonial folk mask. Jan 08, 2020 the history of african mask collecting has gone through several stages since europeans began to collect masks in the 19 th century during their colonial forays into africa. A large and wonderful senufo wanyugo firespitter mask and costume, collected from a village in the korhogo region of ivory coast. The cubism and masks found in senufo pieces were a.
In the korhogo region, deguele masks appear in pairs at funerals. Inspire a love of reading with prime book box for kids discover. Mar 04, 2015 new yorks nowdefunct museum of primitive art opened its landmark exhibition senufo. Art and identity in west africa explores what it means to be senufo, a term describing some of the peoples, languages, and cultures in northern cote divoire, southern mali, and burkina faso. They live principally off the fruits of agriculture and occasionally hunting. Much like the komo kun of the bamana, the kponyungo appears to get its power through accumulation of items such as the many horns. Art and death in a senufo village traditional arts of africa. History and ethnic relations emergence of the nation. Art and identity in west africa is on view through may 31, 2015 in the kelvin and eleanor smith foundation exhibition hall.
Heilbrunn timeline of art history senufo sculpture from west africa. The senufo kponyugu masks are both horizontal composite animal forms with long, projecting horns, a large, gaping mouth, and fearsome accoutrements such as sharp teeth and claws. The baule belong to the akan peoples who inhabit ghana and cote divoire. The face of the mask is oval shaped with a long nose.
The metropolitan museum of art heilbrunn timeline of art history. Senufo masks are created by specialist artists who live apart from the rest of their village. The decorative arts, especially in textiles and in the ornamentation of everyday tools, were a vital art in nearl. Senufo, a group of closely related peoples of northern cote divoire ivory coast and southeastern mali.
Senufo sculpture from west africa and its precursor exhibition set a precedent for the exhibition. African art african antique mask vintage ebony wood ashanti african 1434. Joining historical analysis with eyecatching sculptures, this book offers expanded views of a dynamic regions arts and identities. African divination is discussed in my new book dreaming the future. African art senufo britannica encyclopedia britannica. The superstructure above the face identifies this mask as a kanaga. Ethnicitiesspanning the northern ivory coast, southeastern mali and western burkina faso, this ethnolinguistic group, related yet distinct from the gur group, even has one subgroup, the nafana, found in northwestern ghana. Among the naffara group of the senufo, masks of similar form but with an interior cavity too small for a human head are carried on the top corner of a rectangular, tent like costume called kagba.
Certain masks get replaced with a new mask of the same spiritual power every 7 years. Other masks below are some other african masks from nigeria. Such details relate to senufo cosmology, legends, and beliefs about the connections between certain animals and the ancestral and nature spirits that connect the living. This particular mask was constructed by the senufo people of cote divoire. In tradition, senufo objects get covered with the juice of the yaman root. It is used to uphold law and order in the community. The mask is made out of wood which appears to have some age on it. Senufo baule tribal africa alva natural history mus. Senufo kpelie masks of such remarkable refinement as the offered lot are rare. The predominant art forms are masks and figures, which were generally used in religious ceremonies. Their iconographya composite of a wide range of animalsrefers to the origin of the world, to important legends, and to the roles of certain animals in carrying out obligations to ancestors and nature. Cur at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. Like other dogon wooden masks, kanaga masks depict the face as a rectangular box with deeply hollowed channels for the eyes. Dynamics of art and identity in west africa susan elizabeth gagliardi on.
Links without descriptions correspond to books in the university of north. I was told that it is from africa and that it is old but no other details. The senufo are an ethnic group who live in cote divoire, previously called the ivory coast. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. The secrecy has helped the senufo people to preserve their culture in the times of wars and political pressure. Traditional african masks are one of the elements of great african art that have most evidently influenced europe and western art in general. Kpelie mask, senufo people, ivory coast masks of the world. Art and identity in west africa will subsequently also travel to the saint louis art. Senufo helmet mask collected in 1959, found in boundiali district, near korhogo, ivory coast referred to a kponyungo deadhead mask by anita glaze, this mask is used by the poro mens secret society society as initiation and teaching of young men. Files are available under licenses specified on their description page. Senufo sculpture from west africa and its precursor exhibition set a precedent for the exhibition and study of african art that prevailed for decades. The ntomo society is a five year period for uncircumcised boys, and the first society of the six they go through to become recognized as men. Senufo masks combine features of animals and humans in a single design. Art is an important part of the senufo culture and it is tightly tied in with their religion and beliefs.
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