masks, masking, and masquerades

When I previously looked at African masks I had many questions about why they look so abstract, what do the designs mean, why do some look like animals, and why are they worn.  This week in class, all of my questions were answered.

The Baule, Bamana, and Bwa cultures incorporate masks into their spiritual practices by performing masquerades. Different kinds of masks are worn to represent important values and ideas expressed in masquerades. Leaf masks are made of organic materials and symbolize life cycles, growth and fertility. They are usually burned after wearing in a dance. Plank masks are carved to represent a spirit whether it is a serpent, a bush pig, or a “crazy-man.” The spirit of the creature the mask represents is believed to embody the dancer.  Owl eyes are a design incorporated on the masks to symbolize “seeing” into the spiritual world. Masks are also viewed as necessary mediators between this world and the spiritual world. Cole’s article explains that there is not a direct translation for the word “mask” in African languages. Instead, they are called “head spirit” or “face of the forest spirit.” 

 The serpent mask is used by a family of a village to honor a serpent and being successful in courtships after an old story about how the young men of a village were saved by a serpent after being attacked by another village that they were trying to get wives from.

They use the colors red, white and black. Black and white checker designs are symbols for knowledge and teaching because they represent the hides used to sit on. The white hides are newer and used by the young men and the black hides are discolored from being in the rafters for many years and used by the older men. The dances are often celebratory, and the masquerades are used to demonstrate acceptable and unacceptable behavior.

It was interesting to learn that the masks are owned by families and the young men of the families are the dancers wearing the masks at the masquerades. Masquerades are dances with lots of interaction between musicians and the dancers and the audience. After a masker has danced, an old man (usually the previous owner of the mask) will dance to show the young men how the dance is to be properly executed and to boast of his skill as a dancer when they were younger. A dancer masked as a bush pig will kick up a bunch of dirt while dancing and try to sit next to the other dancers or audience members, and the other members are to move away from the bush pig.  Women have a large part in masquerades, although they are not masked, they still dance and actively participate in directing the dancers.  The masker as the “crazy-man” has his wife chase him around and try to calm him down as he lashes out at the audience and dancers by acting in an anti-social behavior.

The most important thing I learned is that we cannot separate the meaning of the masks from the importance of the context the masks are used in. We cannot study the masks without studying the meanings of the symbols of the culture they are from nor the dances they are used for.  The performance and idea of the spiritual relationship between the masks and the dancers are the most important aspects of the masks. I was very surprised to learn that underneath all the raffia the dancers hold the mask and usually with their teeth. It’s amazing to think of the strength, balance, and skill used to dance and hold a large mask.