Gelede Mask

Yoruba people, Benin

12 inches, painted wood

Gelede is a cult in Benin and Western Nigeria concerned with the appeasement of witches. The masquerades are in honor of mother--whose power, Ashe, is especially manifest in elderly women, female ancestors, and the female Orisha. The power of the mother undergirds social existence, but it may also be known in its destructive form, such as the witchcraft that destroys life by bringing about
impotency, barrenness, and disease.

The Yoruba people are prolific artists and Gelede masks can take a variety of forms. They use masks during festivals that are held to honor the power of elderly women, referred to as "our mothers, the witches." The masks are based on the human face, but may be surmounted by elaborate coiffures or carvings. Small and with no eye holes, so this would have been worn on top of the head.

$350