Mask - Africa (No reserve price)

Bété mask from Côte d'Ivoire. A ceremonial mask. An enshrined piece

The Bete are a farming people living in the southwest of Côte d’Ivoire, between the Bandama and Sassandra rivers. Only the western territory of the Bete bears witness to a masked tradition inspired by the models of the We, used by the gla society and transmitted through the neighboring Nyabwa. This origin is strengthened by the use of the Nyabwa language during the masked dances, but also by the involvement of the Nyabwa who teach their role to the bearers of Bete masks. The masks perform in funeral rites, during the lifting of mourning or in honor of an important personality. On this occasion, the masks—or one of their attendants—sometimes bear a spear, perhaps recalling the original function of the warrior masks.