Face mask "kpélié" · 

Côte d'Ivoire, Sénoufo · ID: 3040037

Description

wood, blackish brown patina, of typical form with ornamental projections to both sides and at the chin, old collection number handwritten on the backside “No 46 Senoufo”, slightly dam., abrasion of paint, breakage (horn);
“kpélié” is one of the major “poro” initiation society masks. Its purpose at funeral rites is to lead the spirits of the deceased members of the family into the peacful land of the dead, and at harvest festivals, to thank the ancestors and the land spirits for good crops.