Product Description
Tribal War Mask, Grebo – RCI
This hand-carved Grebo Mask made of dense wood and black pigment belongs to the Kroo group and is nicknamed Nyabwa. The Grebo ethnic group in Ivory Coast uses this helmet mask to prepare spiritually for war.
Made of 100% Dense wood and metal.
Model is W 32 – H 21 and weight 2.6 kg.
Description
This hand-carved Grebo Mask made of dense wood and black pigment belongs to the Kroo group and is a ‘classical’ type of Bete mask. These masks were worn in preparation for warfare, mainly to instill fear in the enemy. The person wearing the mask is believed to have special magical powers. The ethnic group Bete is well known especially for this kind of mask, nicknamed Nyabwa. The Bete mask consists of medium-weight wood. The deep-set face are white (by means of kaolin), the remaining areas dyed a dark brown color. The Grebo ethnic group in Ivory Coast uses this mask to the needs of “fetish” (sacrifices). It represents an animal head. This piece has often struggled against his former neighbors (Dan Wei, Guéré & Bete). Wars and looting, then being commonplace, its craft carries the stigma. The common denominator of Grebo masks is that they were designed to destabilize or intimidate their opponent by the ferocious and hard appearance.
The Grebo sculpt several types of masks. One type is characterized by a massive face surmounted by two buffalo horns. The second type of masks represents the female ideal with slit eyes and sweetness of expression. The third type is male war masks, more abstract and flat, formed by a board with an elongated nose and one or more pairs of tubular eyes. The masks appeared during rituals reserved for initiates and at the time of festive occasions when the whole population was able to see them. The war masks designed primarily to terrify appeared during battles, in the dances beforehand, and at the funerals of warriors. Figures are rare. Their style is closely related to Dan, We and other neighboring tribes.
“Grebo” means “leaping monkey people,” a reference to their flight from a former homeland near the Sahara. The culture of the Grebo, a little-known ethnic group inhabiting the coastal region of eastern Liberia and the bordering forestlands, was shaped to a considerable degree by their neighbors to the north, the Kran and Dan. Their major economic activity is producing palm oil and palm kernels for export. Unlike the other people living in Liberia, the Grebo are not structured by the Poro society. They are ruled by a chief known as bodio who lives in near-total isolation and also assumed the function of the grand priest.
Additional information
| Weight | 2.6 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 32 × 21 cm |
| Color | |
| Material |
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