Male helmet mask "lipiko" of excellent quality
Mozambique (Northern) / Southern Tanzania, Mueada Plateau, Makonde-Mawia
sold
EUR 2,700
Provenance
v. Dr. Rassler(s), Germany (coll. in situ, Mosambik, Lindi,10. September 1966)Size
H: 22 cm
H: 8.7 inch
Description
light kapok wood, colour pigments, human hair, old collection label on the inside, handwritten inscription: “Original dance mask(s) from the tribe of the Wawawia Portuguese East Africa - The teeth of these people are sharpened”; added in other handwriting “Lindi…Mozambique…v. Dr Rassler(s) 10.Sept.66”, rest.
Helmet masks “lipiko” (pl. “mapiko”) represent ancestral spirits who temporarily return to earth to appear in dances that celebrate the conclusion of the initiation rituals of adolescent boys and girls.