To outsiders, Marabouts, superstitions and omens seem part of Africa’s ancient history.  Stepping foot within rural West Africa today, however, a visitor will realize the very realness of spiritual healing and the seriousness with which these practices are still treated among many African villages.

Marabouts, called by many different names in the tribal languages of West Africa, are spiritual healers or “witch doctors,” as foreigners say.  These individuals are believed to have supernatural ability to perform tasks such as curing the sick, increasing fertility, and even controlling weather or other natural occurrences.

Though linked with Islam, marabouts living in rural West African countries often practice a form of spiritual healing that combines and retains many ancient African animist traditions.  Marabouts generally live off of the contributions of their community, who pay for services and items such as ju-jus, or Arabic spell scripts.

Marabouts are said to have the power to “bless” everyday objects, either by inserting ju-jus scripts into the object or through reciting incantations.  Much of what a marabout performs within an individual session remains private, and research on the topic is scarce.

These ju-jus, or replicas of them, however, commonly appear on African sculptures and figurines of all types.  Even babies are given ju-jus by the marabouts to wear, in hopes of good health and strength.  Often, marabouts will “bless” traditional artifacts such as African masks, carvings, and jewelry (especially silver and gold).

Though many American foreigners have much doubt in the superstitions of West African cultures, its spread to the Caribbean makes the residents there more akin to the practices.  Some voodoo rituals within the Caribbean islands are said to have taken root within African culture, brought to the new world during the slave trade.

Regardless of one’s personal beliefs, the idea of superstition and the marabouts who continue to practice spiritual healing play a very real role in West African culture today.  Without the marabouts and these traditions, certain arts such as mask-making and ju-ju creation would certainly not be as prominent as they continue to be.

In Africa, masks can be traced back to well past Paleolithic times. These art objects were, and are still made of various materials, included are leather, metal, fabric and various types of wood.

African masks are considered amongst the finest creations in the art world and are highly sought after by art collectors. Many of the pieces some replica’s, can be viewed in museums and art galleries in many parts of the world. Masking ceremonies in Africa have great cultural and traditional significance. Latest developments and understanding of Aesthetic principles, religious and ceremonial values, have brought about a greater insight into the ideas and moral values that African artists express in their art.

During celebrations, initiations, crop harvesting, war preparation, peace and trouble times, African masks are worn by a chosen or initiated dancer. It can be worn in three different ways: vertically covering the face: as helmets, encasing the entire head, and as crest, resting upon the head, which was commonly covered by material as part of the disguise. African masks often represent a spirit and it is strongly believed that the spirit of the ancestors possesses the wearer.

Read more about the history of African Masks

A trio of large 61 inch hand carved Balinese masks, colorful Tibetan masks including Ganesh,  Garuda, Narasimha & more, Rajasthani paintings & African chokwe masks are among the many new arrivals at
Lotus Masks.  We’re so excited we want to introduce a few of the new arrivals to you!

Obviously, we aren’t able to describe all of our new arrivals in one blog post, so we invite you to view all of the great new African masks, Tibetan masks, Indonesian masks and Indian paintings in our online store at Lotus Masks.  Remember, whenever you purchase an African mask or African sculpture, we’ll donate a portion of the proceeds to an African charity!

Enter the online mask store now.

Set of 3 Colorful Indonesian Masks 61″ (Item#2i4)

These large wood masks measure more than five feet (61”) from bottom to top.  These masks will be the focal point of any wall in any room!

Hindu God Ganesh Wood Mask 20″ (Item#4n2)

Ganesh is the Lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the god of
education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth. In fact, Ganesha is one of the main Hindu deities.  Ganesh wears a detailed crown and has a large om symbol on his trunk.

Colorful Tibetan Garuda Mask 22″ (Item#4n6)

This mask is of Garuda which is a mythical bird or bird-like creature prominent to the mythologies of Hinduism and Buddhism. The Garuda is also the national symbols of Indonesia and Thailand as
well as featuring heavily in India and Mongolia.

In Hinduism, Garuda as represented by this mask is the mount of god Vishnu and feeds solely on its enemy, the serpents or Naga. Garuda is also credited with bringing nectar from heaven to earth and has served as the mighty transport for god-warriors in important battles. In Buddhism, the
Garuda represents a race of mighty bird-like beings with four kings whose enemies are the serpent-dragon-like race of Naga.

This mask represents the bird-like nature of the Garuda, with great beak and ears. Even though the Garuda has the head of a bird, horns and crowns are added as with this masks to ascribe it the connation of being king of the birds and their forebear. The malevolent look and the brows of fire are placed to show Garuda as the devourer and immortal warrior.

African Chokwe Helmet Mask 12″ (Item#2a35)

This is a Chokwe mask. Tribes of the Chokwe can be found spread across Angola, Zambia and Democratic Republic of Congo.  Compared to other typical Chokwe masks, this is a much more refined work of tribal art. However, it still incorporates the signature styles of Chokwe masks:
filed teeth and lined scarification motifs.

The cruciform tattoo made of triangles carved on the forehead is known as
cingelyengelye. The origins of the cross can be traced to the necklace crosses
made of tin distributed among the Chokwe people in the 17th century by Capuchin
monks from Portugal.

The tattoo over the cross extending to the temples is called mitelumuna or “knitted
brows” and it depicts discontentedness. The tattoo lines running under both eyes
are called masoji and they represent tears.

This is a female mask but it is used in the initiation ceremonies of young boys and is
meant to represent their separation from their mothers and their rebirth into
manhood.

Hindu Painting of Kali on Shiva 14.5″ x 11″ (Item#2p13)

Kali is full fierce form, with a garland of skulls around her neck, a skirt made of severed arms, Her saber raised and a decapitated human head in her left hand.  She holds a long trident.

African Chokwe Helmet Mask 12"

While anthropologists continue to discover exciting pieces of the historical puzzle of Africa, many indigenous peoples continue to leave their own historical markers–African masks, African sculpture and African art.

Although some African art is created for widespread traditional purposes (circumcision, war, marriage, etc.), the majority of West African masks are centered around tribal identity.  Often, a face mask’s sole purpose is to mark the identity of the bearer’s particular tribe.  As African mask “usage” continues to decline–and tribal intermarriages blur ethnic lines–more masks are being crafted as decorative preservations of heritage and tribal identification than as ceremonial or functional items.

Tribes such as the Mandinka, Fula (Fulani), Jola and Wolof (Senegal/Gambia) carve particular features into their own ethnic masks.  Fula (Fulani) masks, for example, often include animals atop a figure to celebrate the tribe’s history of gentle treatment of animals.  Fula masks are also one of the few types consistently seen in male/female pairs. Mandinka masks, on the other hand, often include bearded or ear-pierced warrior-like figures and sometimes are found in sets of seven, to represent the different roles of a Mandinka tribesman each day of the week.

Facial features of a mask can determine geographical region or tribal identity.  The narrowness of a face, a round shape, or bulging forehead are all markers of identity and attributes found among specific African tribes.  For instance, Baule tribal masks will almost always have arched eyebrows and closed eyes.

Today, modern African craftsmen also study the features of other tribes, increasing their craft skills to include more distant tribes and offer tourists to their country a range of West African masks.  With a large percentage of African masks now being made with the intention of being sold (rather than being used), some of the particular features associated with their usage stand on the brink of being lost.  Mask collectors, sellers and carvers alike will need to continue passing down cultural information and techniques to future African mask apprentices so that these important mask details will continue to be preserved.

Mask-Making Tribes of West Africa

Below is a list including many of the mask-making tribes of West Africa and their current (or most prominent) geographical regions.  Please note that many tribes have alternative names/spellings within different areas of Africa, and that not every West African tribe is listed here.

Akan – Ghana
Aku – Sierra Leone
Anlo-Ewe – Ghana
Ashanti – Ghana
Bakota (Kota) – Gabon
Bambara (Bamana) – Mali
Bariba – Benin, Nigeria
Bobo (Bwe) – Burkina Faso, Mali
Baule – Cote d’Ivoire
Chamba – Nigeria
Dendi – Benin
Dogon – Mali, Burkina Faso
Fang – Equatorial Guinea, Gabon
Fanti (Fante) – Ghana
Fon – Benin, Togo
Mende – Sierra Leone
Fulani (Fula, Peul) – Widespread, West Africa
Gaun – Ghana
Ibo (Igbo) – Nigeria
Jola (Jolla, Diola) – The Gambia, Senegal
Kpelle – Guinea, Liberia
Kissi – Guinea
Mandinka (Mandingo, Malinke) – The Gambia, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau
Mel – Sierra Leone, Liberia
Serahule – The Gambia
Serer – Senegal, The Gambia
Senufo, Cote d’Ivoire, Mali
Susu (soussou) – Guinea, Sierra Leone
Tuareg – Mali
Tukulor – Senegal, Mali
Wolof (Jolof, Fanafa) – Senegal, The Gambia
Yoruba – Benin, Nigeria