Mask - Sénoufo - Côte d'Ivoire

KPELIYE Mask - Senoufo - Ivory Coast

Also called jump mask, it appears during initiations and symbolically marks a death followed by rebirth. They are used by male members of the Poro society, an institution that controls political and economic life. Preserved in the sacred enclosure called sezang, to protect them from the gaze of the uninitiated, their function is to honor the elders or even appear during funerals. The anthropomorphic masks ward off the spirit of the deceased from their place.

The Sénoufos (or Siéna, a name given to them meaning 'those who speak Séné, the Sénoufo') constitute a population in West Africa, present in Burkina Faso, southern Mali (mainly in the Sikasso region), and Côte d'Ivoire (to the north, around the cities of Boundiali and Korhogo), numbering approximately 1,663,199 members, which is 9.7% of the population of Côte d'Ivoire.

This mask has been preserved in perfect condition and has a dark patina of vegetal pigments as well as two Senufo shields on the sides, which make it special.