African Folklore: An Encyclopedia - Marshalls University

African folklore 480
the community. The other are localized nature spirits who, like ancestral spirits, demand
respect, but also reward the community with good health, a bountiful harvest, and many
children.
The characters created in these transformations are not arbitrary. They follow the
hierarchy of mask types that have developed within a particular community or culture.
The form and style of the mask and its costume directly relates to the character or
personages that the animated figure is suppose to represent. Masked characterizations are
drawn from a cross-section of human society. They are human and animal, male and
female, benign and dangerous, flamboyant and youthful, or solemn and elderly. They
may represent the respected pillars of the community such as important rulers, warriors,
or other historical figures, or conversely, those that represent human frailties and are
therefore despised or ridiculed, such as prostitutes or drunkards. Mask characterizations
may also represent specific wild or domestic animals, or a combination of both human
and animal characteristics that represent revered ancestral or feared and dangerous nature
spirits. The names given to masks suggest deceased forebears, famous personages, or
animals such as birds, crocodiles, antelopes, or collective spirit forces.
Masquerade Forms, Styles, and Materials
African artisans have employed tremendous ingenuity in their attempts to disguise and
alter the shape, size, and color of the human body. The body’s characteristic movements
and voice are disguised in the desire to create a new animated spirit being.
The basic face covering, so highly prized by museums and collectors, is often made of
wood. It may also be made in part or entirely of more perishable organic material such as
fiber or cloth. Other mask types cover the entire head or even the entire body of the
dancer. The addition of a crest, horns, feathers, or a more elaborate projection to the top
of the mask increases its aesthetic power and clearly helps to identify the particular
character or personages being represented. Often masks are a synthesis of various human
and animal characteristics that are enlarged or reduced to create entirely new and
imaginative kinetic sculpture. Elaborate masquerade costumes and the accessories they
carry further obscure or alter the profile of the human form and help to define the
personage being represented. Stilts, long poles, or other devices may be employed so that
the dancer can increase the height of the figure at will. When performing, the dancer may
abruptly spin, causing the body of the masked figure to expand in size and then suddenly
fall to the ground, suggesting to an observer that the body animating the mask has
suddenly disappeared. For example, masked dancers performing Egungun masquerades
among the Yoruba of western Nigeria are called “miracles” because they can literally
turn their costumes inside out to dramatically change the entire color of the costumes at
will. This is done with such finesse that even after repeated viewing, it continues to
amaze and delight the viewer.
Masks, their costumes, and accessories are fabricated from materials or carry objects
that are associated with, or symbolic of, the temporal or supernatural realms from which
they emanate. For example, masks may carry paraphernalia associated with the forest
world such as bows and arrows, spears, hunting nets, or bells. On the other hand, masks
may wear or display certain leaves, fibers, pigments, quills, bird beaks, feathers, animal