Yaure Tribal Mask | Costa do Marfim

The African masks of the Yaure tribe, a subgroup of the Baule people, are spiritual representations used along with dances and rituals as interventions in moments of social imbalance in the tribe (the death of a member) called the celebration of “je” and “lo” ceremony, responsible for purifying the village and helping him access the realm of the ancestors.

The decorative arts are made in wood with dark pigment and present anthropomorphic characteristics coordinated with arched eyebrows, scarifications on the faces, elongated and thin noses, small and expressionless mouths, braids, horns or small figurines for protection on the upper part and outlines with serrated designs on the bottom.

Through the sculpture of masks, Ivorian craftsmen express the symbolic multiplicity of artifacts that form the tribal material culture of Africa. Ethnic art like this mask from Côte d'Ivoire expresses the cultural plurality and historical value of tribal artistic expressions on the African continent, reinforcing its ritualistic diversity.

Part Size:
Height 42cm x Width 20cm x Depth 13cm