According to oral tradition, the Tikar were, in the 17th and 18th centuries, the progenitors of many of the royal lineages of the Grasslands of Cameroun and share with their culture the institution of royalty, but not that of a regulatory society. The tradition of masks, less prominent and diversified than in the Grasslands, includes pairs of male and female masks owned by a lineage in each village. The masks dance at funerals and in an annual harvest dance in honor of the ancestors. Provenance: Berthe Hartert, Barcelona Argiles Collection, Barcelona