Those of you who are thinking of a collecting trip to Africa may well find following site useful. There are still places in Africa where genuine old masks can be bought, generally through dealers. Also watch out for fakes as they do abound. Remember buy things you like as investment can go up as well as down. If you like that carving or mask then value is not as important. The link is African-Vacations.com, see Carvings page link.

The African masks of this area are well documented by Ladislas Segy in Masks of Black Africa. Much of following section on African Masks is influenced by his work.

The African masking traditions of this part of World are extremely fertile and varied. The traditions supporting masks are generally associated with spirits of ancestors, rites of passage, fertility and initiation ceremonies. Dance is generally involved in use of masks. Segy lists following types of ritual:-

Rituals of cosmology, myth and mythological heroes or animals Fertility rites Rituals for increase Agricultural festivals Rituals for rites of passage Ancestor cults Initiations including secret societies

Related Ceremonies

Masks can be used for different ceremonies often having multiple purposes. The size and style of masks are diverse, depicting animals, human faces and more abstract styles in sizes from a few centimetres to 4.5 metres in case of Dogon Iminana ( mother mask ). With only a few exceptions masks are all part of a full costume and not just an isolated piece of decoration.. Segy notes:-

Face coverings Helmet masks Headdresses Masks with prominent breasts Amulets Insignia of grade Crowns of bead work

Materials

Wood The major material was wood due to large forest and range of species available. The choosing of a tree from which to make a mask was not as we might do today, find one and chop it down. Rather carver would seek help of a diviner and undergo a purification ceremony and when first blow was struck he would drink some of sap in order to form a brotherhood with tree?s spirit. Mask would be carved from one piece of wood with nothing jointed, with some of masks this created severe technical difficulties when early carvers only had simple tools. Usually green timber was used as this was easier to cut. Certain varieties would be used for some special masks, but in general softer woods were used

Ivory was used by Warega and Benin. The ivory was property of Benin kings (Oba) and they were only ones to wear ivory as a mark of office. The carving of Warega was not as refined but has a strong impact.

Brass was used by Benin, Senufo and Ashanti.

Other Materials Knitted materials were used as were beadwork, basketry and fabrics. Additional materials included :- shells, beads, twigs, bark, teeth, hair, beaten or repousse metal, vegetable fibres and skin, to mention a few.

The Fool

My first direct experience of fool in masking was watching Morris Dancing here at home in Yorkshire, England. The Morris dancers were dressed up in their usual dancing shoes with bells and baggy pants. To be absolutely honest I have always found Morris men a bit funny! Perhaps I should explain about Cecil Sharp, no I'll leave that to a footnote.

The Boars Head Morris Men were dancing in a pub car park. ( Pub short for Public House a place for drinking beer etc. in UK.) They were doing usual dances that are related to fertility, good crops and harvests etc. But of course they really don't quite have pagan beliefs off pat. Mind you when you see them drink ale in quantities that they did then you would realise that they had perhaps fully understood pagan ways of having a good time. ( Not to say all people who follow pagan ways drink lots of ale, just a convenient concept )

What you are probably asking by this juncture is this to do with fools?

Well Boars Head Morris Men had a masked fool. He was complete with boars mask pantaloons and boars headed stick. He also carried a bucket for collecting cash donations for charity, or maybe beer money. He followed dancers mimicked them and cajoled watchers for change to fill his bucket.

Interestingly I knew fool quite well and in real life, with out mask, he would never do what he did with mask. Being English he was just far too polite!

The Boars Head stick became a threatened cudgel, never used, just pointed and waved. The mask was a place to hide behind, for a normal everyday person. As you will find by looking further on this site mask allows people to change personalities. He bullied and pranced and enjoyed his dual mission to collect money and to protect dancers from crowd. Sometimes children get too close. That is not allowed. Sometimes dancers space is threatened by cars entering parking space. Wow! That is not a good idea!

But suddenly fool sets off in pursuit of three attractive women. He rattles his bucket and rounds them up as a sheep dog would. They are pressed into donating generously. He just leaves his dancers unprotected to fend for themselves. The next ten minutes is exchanged in good natured banter. ( The wife of fool is present! )

The above is from memory, probably about 20 years ago. In terms of mask traditions that is very recent. For mask traditions can be traced back at least 25,000 years. I am certain they go back to time of first questioning peoples; 50,000.................or more years?

What then is this reference to fools and masking traditions. Well as you dig through this site you will find that fool crops up in several other traditions.

In Masquerade fool is an essential figure. On surface he, occasionally she, is one who keeps order. He controls children, he stops their prying eyes invading dressing room. His stick maintains performance area. He cracks jokes, entertains, juggles pulls faces and GETS VIOLENT. He chases children with a whip and hits them mercilessly if he gets chance. He tries to seduce women, and does if he can!

Suddenly he becomes bored and goes away to sit and talk philosophically with a group of friends from his unmasked time. As conversation progresses he introduces new ideas. He begins to ridicule accepted norm. He questions accepted reality. He attempts to turns arguments on their heads

The Ubiquitous Fool

The fool is a ubiquitous. The fool occurs in masking traditions of North and South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, China, ........................ if you know some more please fill in my blank.

Universally fool treads line between normality and incongruities that world. The fool is both sensible and totally none-sensible. Not that he does not use his senses he just uses then in a different way. He questions and cajoles. He jokes and makes fun of others. Yet when someone over steps arbitrary boundary, (who decided ) he changes. Suddenly he becomes quiet hearth cat, sleeping feline, domesticated, sleek and silky. And as you stroke and pleasure cat she begins to become claws and teeth and worse growls. He becomes raging tiger, claws and teeth.

What is role of fool?