Kpeli Mask - Senufo people - Ivory Coast - SOLD

Price: $0.00


 


Kpeli is an ancestor mask which is used during initiation & funeral ceremonies of the Poro society. Although the occasions on which it is used may differ, it always represents an ancestor closely connected with the society's origin. The funerals both commemorate the deceased and reintegrate the mourning relatives into the community, with the intention of creating the appropriate atmosphere for the deceased to leave the world of the living to enter the ancestral realm. Most important, however, are the figures on the head, which depend on the group to which they belong, in the manner of the coat of arms. They believe the first animals on earth were the snake, chamelion, tortoise, crocodile and the hornbill bird.

11"H x 5.5"W x 3"D

NOTE: When displayed on the included stand, this mask reaches a height of 14"