Hide shield attached by leather strips to oval wooden frame; vertical wooden handle on back; patterns in blue, white, black, ochre, red pigments.

Shield

Maasai people, African

Early 20th century

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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.
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