Materials Object Type  wood, polychrome pigment Mask Origin People Grouping  Ivory Coast Nafana Masks & Helmets Date Late 19th Century This huge polychrome plank masks known as Bedu are danced in ceremonies designed to...

Materials Object Type  Carved Wood, Fiber and Beads sculpture Origin People Grouping  Ghana Asante Ancestral Date Late 19th Century Yaa Asantewa, seated on throne, was queen mother of Ejisu in the Ashanti/Asante Empire (presently...

Bamana / Bambara Maternity figure (Gwandusu) Early 19th Century In traditional African societies, a childless marriage is a grave problem that has serious repercussions on the relationships between wife, husband, and in-laws and on...

Baga Festival Ceremonial Box “Hare Materials Object Type Origin People Grouping Dimensions  carved and painted wood Ritual Objects Guinea Baga Ritual, Reliquary, Spiritual   Late 19th Century Typically rural and known for their agricultural...

Timba Initiation Ceremonial Drum Baga Guinea Secret Society Date Early 20th This beautifulmagnificently conceived drum (aka Timba), carved and painted with natural earth elements is made of wood and is a talking and communicative...

BoBo Bird Ceremonial Mask wood mask Mali Bobo Ritual, Reliquary, Spiritual Burkina Faso Date Early 19th Century The Bwa or Bobo produce several different kinds of masks, including leaf masks dedicated to the god...

Ikenga Statue Materials Object Type Origin People Grouping  Wood      Shrine            Nigeria Ikenga  Ancestral Date Late 19th Century. This is a statue of ancestral power which is very important to the Nigerian people, as a...

Bambara Protective Marionette wood, brass, feathers ritual Mali Bambara – Bamana Power & Protection H:70 in. Date Late 19th Century It is quite apparent that most statues and masks are made from a single...

Materials Object Type Origin People Grouping Dimensions Yoruba Royalty Nigeria H:24 x W:24 x L:80 in. Date Late 19th Century There is a Yoruba saying that “no one has ever seen the tomb of...

Wood  figure  Tanzani Makond Ancestral Among the major representatives of Tanzanian figurative art are the Makonde people in near-life form, who are renowned throughout East Africa for their original and often highly fanciful carvings....