African Guno Cameroon Tribal Mask, 20.75“ X 7.5“, Hand Carved and Painted For Sale

This is a ritual and ceremonial mask from Cameroon, essential to the traditional culture West African Guno Cameroun. It was purchased about 30 years ago, when it was already 50 years old, making it today roughly 80 years old. It is shaped after a human face represented in an attractive abstract form.

Ritual African masks usually have a spiritual and religious meaning to them, and are used in ritual dances, social and religious events, ceremonies related to weddings, and initiation rites.

In most traditional African cultures, the person who wears a ritual mask loses his or her human identity and turns into the spirit represented by the mask itself. The mask wearer thus becomes a sort of medium that allows for a dialogue between the community and the spirits.

Mask-making was an art that was traditionally, for the masks of this era and older, passed on from father to son. Today’s masks are mostly crafted for the tourism industry, and don’t offer as many fine details, and meaning.

Origin: Private Collection in Washington DC.