African mask antiques GURO masks for wall-3357

39.5 /18.5 CM
but first of all their beautiful masks reveal their artistic abilities.The masks of the Yohure represent human faces often supplemented by animal attributes. They have an elongated face with a protruding mouth and pierced semi-circular eyes set under a high forehead. An elaborate plaited coiffure parted on each side, often with horns at the end, completes the image, while the outline of the mask is characteristically surrounded by a serrated edge. The masks are considered emblems of yu spirits, very dangerous; they have to be handled with extreme caution. Cases of death that jeopardize the social order are the principal occasions for an appearance of masqueraders. By means of their dance, they restore the social equilibrium of the community and accompany the deceased into the ancestral realm. These masks are worn predominantly on two occasions: the je celebration and the lo ceremony. The first purifies the village after a death and helps the deceased's soul on its way to a final resting place. Painted masks are mainly worn by dancers during this ceremony, while for lo funeral ceremony masks covered with black pigments appear. Women may not participate in