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When were Fang NGIL masks made?
Fang people, Gabon1800/1900 Masks of this elongated type were worn by members of the powerful religious and judiciary secret society known as the Ngil, which was widespread among the Northern Fang and others to the southeast of them (the Fang are a subgroup of the Pangwe people).
When would the Maasai tribe traditionally use masks?
In many African cultures, masks are used in rituals to honor the ancestors, but in Maasai culture the masks were historically worn in traditional ceremonies including celebrations, initiations, crop harvests, and war preparations. The masks often represented the spirits of mythological beings, animals, or spirits.
What is Fang mask?
The height of the mask — 60 cm — is indicative of its use as a ceremonial object. It would have been worn by a member of the Ngil, a secret brotherhood responsible for policing and administering justice in Fang communities.
What is the history of African masks?
It is believed that the earliest masks were used in Africa before Paleolithic era. They represent spirits of animals or ancestors, mythological heroes, moral values or a form of honoring of a person in a symbolic way. They are made from wood, pottery, textiles, copper and bronze.
What is the Fang tribe known for?
The Fang are best known for their wooden reliquary figures which are abstract anthropomorphic carvings. There are a few in collections that are still attached to the original relics they were meant to protect.
What type of people are the Maasai?
The Maasai (/ˈmɑːsaɪ, mɑːˈsaɪ/) are a Nilotic ethnic group inhabiting northern, central and southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. They are among the best known local populations internationally due to their residence near the many game parks of the African Great Lakes, and their distinctive customs and dress.
What does the mask represent?
The mask symbolizes how blacks must hide who they really are to navigate in white society. Because they are viewed as stereotypes, blacks must pretend to be what white people expect them to be. A mask hides one’s true identity.
What are African masks called?
Masquerades (African Masks)
Where do the Fang people wear their Ngil masks?
Ngil masks were worn by the Fang people in Gabon and have long been considered to be one of the ‘holy grails’ of African art.
Where are ritual masks most common in Africa?
Ritual and ceremonial masks are an essential feature of the traditional culture of the peoples of a part of Sub-Saharan Africa, e.g. roughly between the Sahara and the Kalahari Desert. While the specific implications associated with ritual masks widely vary in different cultures, some traits are common to most African cultures.
What kind of art did the Fang people make?
The art works of Fang people, particularly from wood, iron and steatite, are regionally famous. Their wooden masks and idol carvings are on display at numerous museums of the world. Their wooden masks and idol carvings are on display at numerous museums of the world.
Why did the Haida Indians wear ceremonial masks?
The Haida people of the west coast of Canada created this transformation mask to honour dead by portraying an ancestor or mythical. During winter initiation ceremonies, the story and exploits of these people would be performed through dramatic enactments while wearing the masks.