Description

This Senufo mask from the Korhogo region of Ivory Coast bears the generic name Kpeliye. It is a representation of an ancestor belonging to the Lo secret society. It dances during funeral, agricultural, and initiation rites. This mask exhibits Senufo aesthetic features: a prognathous face with an oval mouth showing teeth, slit-shaped eyes, and...

Scarifications on the cheeks and forehead, two pairs of panels on each side of the face, and two projections emanating from the chin. This mask features a hornbill on its head. The hornbill is the primordial bird of the Senufo people. It is their protector. It is called "Ségèn." Its rounded belly makes it a symbol of fecundity and fertility, the symbol of one who knows much, who possesses knowledge and wisdom, but speaks nothing. It represents and evokes prosperity.

It carries the souls of the dead to the other world and is generally used in Poro initiation rites. Its broad back signifies that it endures much to protect its offspring. Its long, pointed beak represents one who speaks little. It is the expression of one who speaks only to make a commitment, and this commitment is a symbol of determination.