In Burkina Faso there is a tribe called Nuna, their tribe has a mask that is called The Buffalo Mask. This mask has large round eyes that stand out, surrounded by circles. It has a short triangular snout and decorative geometric patterns on the surface. This mask is made of wood and pigment. The Nuna people dance with this mask on market days, funerals and initiation ceremonies. Each mask has a special song and each dancer makes a solo. The purpose of this mask is to honor the powerful animal spirits living in the world around them and gain their protection and blessings. (Caleb) The Buffalo mask is used for a religious purpose that is to obtain the protection of the animal spirits, there is another mask called Nwantantay that is also used for this religious purpose.

The Bwa people from Cote d’Ivoire have a mask called Nwantantay. This mask has an abstract geometric form that has patterns that only the initiated men know what they mean. The X’s refer to the sacrification marks on t

Most of the African tribes use masks and they only use them for important things like religious ceremonies, politics and witchcraft. Each tribe has masks for what they need or think is important. Some masks are not only used for one purpose, there can be one mask used for politics, religion and culture. Masks are an important part of African cultures.

The Muentai mask from the Kuba people in Democratic Republic of the Congo performs initiation rites for boys. The main dancers wear a helmet mask and mashamwooy mask. The mashamwooy mask represents royalty. A man of a royalty descent can only wear this mask (Eliot, Encarta 99). This mask is used for initiation rites like the mask in Sandi where they use all aspects of feminine beauty.

he foreheads of the initiated man. Checkerboard patterns represent the separation between God and evil, wise and stupid, and male and female. The white crescent on the top of the plank means “moon of the masks” that shines when the masks perform. It is also made of wood and pigment. The families that own the masks perform in public dance during the seasons when the moon shines. These masks represent the flying spirits from the bush. The spirits in the masks bless the families that dance in public. (Caleb). The Nwantantay mask is also used for religious purposes, but not all of the African masks are used for religion, and some masks like the Okuji, that means female, are used for cultural purposes, such as the meaning of feminine beauty.

The Kitwebe mask from the Songye people in Zaire has an abstract face. The Songye people think they are partly human, animal and spiritual; so their masks are like that. The mask has powerful features that are like parts of some animals. The eye slits represent the “holes of termites” and the “swelling of sorcerers”. The chin represents the snout of a crocodile. This mask has a long pointed mouth that represents the beak of a bird and the “flame of a sorcerer”. T

Some topics in this essay:
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