A Senufo mask, Boundiali region, Ivory Coast, incl stand. This wooden kpelié mask features a long, narrow human face. The eyes are almost closed, the nose is slender and very elongated, the mouth is small, and the chin tapers to a point. The face is surrounded by geometric shapes: two large, curved, striated horns; rectangular panels on the sides; and two vertical extensions at the bottom. A small chameleon figure is placed at the top. The wood has a dark, brown, and black patina, with signs of wear. On the back, the mask is hollow and has small holes as well as a cord used to secure it. Among the Senufo people of Ivory Coast, the kpelié mask generally represents an ideal of feminine beauty, recognizable by its calm, symmetrical, and delicate face. However, it was worn by a male dancer during ceremonies, particularly initiations and funerals associated with the Poro society. His dance movements were lively and elegant. The horns, geometric elements, and the figure at the top may have evoked animals, ancestors, or forces from the invisible world, but their precise meaning could vary depending on the region and local customs. Masks of this type are commonly associated with the Poro association, the initiatory institution governing social education, moral authority, and the transmission of esoteric knowledge throughout many Senufo communities. Although individual masks vary considerably according to local workshop traditions and ritual requirements, the canonical Kpelie form generally combines an oval or heart-shaped face with projecting horns, stylized scarification motifs, and carefully ordered compositional rhythms. The surface often displays traces of sacrificial matter, vegetal oil, smoke exposure, and prolonged handling, all of which contribute to the ritual authority of the object rather than detracting from its aesthetic integrity. The presence of a chameleon surmounting the mask introduces a significant symbolic dimension. Within many West African cosmological systems, the chameleon functions as an intermediary creature associated with transformation, perception, adaptability, and the mediation between visible and invisible domains. Among Senufo groups, animal imagery incorporated into masks frequently serves didactic or metaphysical purposes, articulating relationships between human conduct, natural order, and spiritual knowledge. The chameleon’s elevated placement atop the mask suggests heightened vigilance and liminal awareness, reinforcing the mask’s initiatory associations and its role within ceremonial performance. The integration of zoomorphic motifs into Kpelie masks also reflects the broader Senufo understanding of the interdependence between human society and the spiritualized environment. Rather than functioning as decorative additions, such animals operate within a symbolic language legible through ritual instruction and performance. During masked dances, the sculptural form becomes inseparable from movement, costume, music, and oral recitation. The mask therefore exists not as an autonomous artwork but as one component within a larger performative system through which social values and cosmological principles are enacted and renewed. Boundiali and neighboring regions of northern Côte d’Ivoire have historically supported highly accomplished carving ateliers whose works circulated widely through exchange networks and ceremonial patronage. Despite stylistic variation, Kpelie masks consistently demonstrate the Senufo preference for rhythmic abstraction and measured elegance over overt naturalism. The addition of the chameleon motif intensifies the object’s symbolic density while preserving the formal restraint characteristic of Senufo sculptural aesthetics. References Robert Goldwater, Senufo Sculpture from West Africa (New York: The Museum of Primitive Art, 1964). Susan Elizabeth Gagliardi, Senufo Unbound: Dynamics of Art and Identity in West Africa (Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art; Munich: DelMonico Books/Prestel, 2014). Patrick R. McNaughton, The Mande Blacksmiths: Knowledge, Power, and Art in West Africa (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1988). Jean-Paul Colleyn, Arts d’Afrique Noire: La statuaire initiatique (Paris: Citadelles & Mazenod, 2006). Eberhard Fischer and Hans Himmelheber, The Art of the Dan in West Africa (Zurich: Museum Rietberg, 1984). Monni Adams, “Aesthetics and Social Structure among the Senufo,” African Arts 6, no. 2 (1973): 26–31. Ezra, Kate. Art of the Dogon: Selections from the Lester Wunderman Collection (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1988), particularly comparative discussions of West African masquerade symbolism and animal imagery. 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