A Senufo mask, Korhogo region, Ivory Coast. Incl. stand. This magnificent carved wooden helmet mask is a mask from the Senufo culture. More specifically, it is a Kpélié (or Kpelie) mask, a refined anthropomorphic piece used by initiates of the Poro secret society during funerals to honor the deceased and guide their souls. The top features a geometric ornamentation in the form of a spiked crest; the top of the mask is crowned by a tall, vertical, flat structure shaped like a comb or palette. It is carved in relief with several rows of spikes or truncated pyramids pointing forward. At the base of this crest are two small, circular, concave ears, reminiscent of the features of a bovine or a hyena. The face is elongated and concave, with a very narrow, slender oval shape that tapers downward. The forehead is high and domed, marked at its center by a thin, vertical, linear scar. A serene, half-closed gaze with almond-shaped eyes is depicted through thin horizontal slits outlined by well-defined eyelids, conveying an impression of calm inner peace. The arched eyebrows meet to form a long, straight, and extremely narrow nose. Just below, the mouth forms a raised horizontal oval, painted on the inside with a reddish pigment, revealing incisors or parallel white lines. On either side of the temples, two horizontal rectangular flaps protrude, finely engraved with parallel striations simulating hairstyles or ornaments. At the cheeks, the mask flares out with two broad, circular, striated appendages that frame the jaw. At the base of the chin, two long, cylindrical, curved appendages project vertically downward. Evoking stylized legs, hornbill horns, or braids, these elements balance the verticality of the piece. Made of matte-blackened wood with touches of polychromy, carved from a single block of hardwood. Its surface bears a dark, almost black patina from use, with a matte, velvety finish. Subtle traces of whitish pigments can be seen in the recesses of the carvings (on the forehead and cheeks), along with flecks of red on the lips. Kpelie-masks were worn during funeral sessions by the Poro society. These funeral festivities are marked by masquerades, which symbolically expresses the fundamental dualities in Senufo Thought: male/female, body/spirit, life/death. In general this type of mask is symbolizing an ideal woman. The unique features which characterize the Kpelié mask include elongated flanges radiating from the bottom part of the mask, which are a reference to the hornbill bird. The horns on the mask refer to the ram, an important sacrificial animal. The nodules on the forehead represent palm nuts as well as vulvas; they are flanked by cicatrization marks that symbolize the twins born to the primordial couple. The significance of the double face are not known, but double- and single- faced Kpelié are used interchangably. Facing the Mask, Herreman, Frank, Museum for African Art. s. publ. Lit.: Holas, Bohumil, L'art sacré sénoufo. Ses différentes expressions dans la vie sociale, Limoges, 1978. Herreman, Frank, Facing the Mask, Museum for African Art, New York, 2002. Till Foerster, Divination bei den Kafibele-Senufo. Zur Aushandlung und Bewältigung von Alltagskonflikten, Berlin, 1985. Wolfgang Jaenicke, Forbidden games. There are some beautiful documented pictures (last photo sequence) by Karl-Heinz Krieg, Region of Boundiali, Côte d'Ivoire. Karl-Heinz Krieg (1970's) Some of the information is generated by artificial intelligence and is based on published sources from the fields of ethnography, archaeology, and art history. Informant: Bakari MAZ16117