Female Figure (Blolo Bla)

Baule people, Côte d'Ivoire, African

20th century

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Costume for Egungun Masquerade, Yoruba people, Republic of Benin (formerly Kingdom of Dahomey), African, cotton cloth, corduroy, sequins, rickrack, Asian rug fragment, cowrie shells, amulets
Red velvet man's kufi-style hat embellished with gold thread.
Tent Pole, Tuareg people, Sahel region, West Africa, African, carved wood
Face mask with rabbit features. Narrow vertical oval ears painted red with white interiors; protruding conical black eyes surrounded by concentric black rings with white pigment in-between; protruding open triangular mouth/snout, painted black, adorned with small incised triangles painted white and red. Oval perimeter of back of mask pierced with multiple holes to enable attachment of mask to dancer's head as well as attachment of fiber costume. This type of mask is worn by men during funeral or initiation ceremonies. Animal masks commemorate encounters that people have had with ancestors who appeared in the form of an animal.