Kpeli Mask (#1) - Senufo People - Ivory Coast - SOLD

Price: $0.00


 


The Kpeli is an ancestor mask which is used during intiation and 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 commemorte the deceased and reintegrate the mourning relatives back into the community, with the intention of creating the appropriate atmosphere for the deceased to leave the world of the living and enter the ancestral realm. Most important, however, are the figures on the head, which depend on the group to which the participants belong, much like a medieval coat of arms.

The Senufo believe that the first animals on earth were the snake, chamelion, tortoise, crocodile, and the hornbill bird.

14.5"H x 6"W x 3"D