Makondé - Tanzania

These lipiko masks, which in the Makonde language mean “helmet mask,” come from the Makonde — a minority ethnic group who live in southern Tanzania and northeastern Mozambique, both north and south of the Rovuma River. The Makonde first came to the region in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries seeking refuge from the slave trade, and they have continued to experience a great deal of cultural transformation and change over the past century, but especially during the Portuguese colonial period from 1920 to 1974. This had a major impact on their society and molded much of their art into what is seen today.

Provenance: Argiles Collection, Barcelona