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Masai Tribal Masks
Masks have played various roles in various cultures throughout history and for many people masks represent more than just something that you wear on Halloween or to a masquerade ball. While still far from being understood the masks from Africa are starting to become better known throughout the world as they start being sold to tourists. Ironically the masks that tourists buy in the hundreds or those that are shipped to many different countries do not have the same spiritual meaning that something like real Masai tribal masks have. For the indigenous people of Africa, not just the Masai, masks hold a respected place in all their cultures.
For many African tribes, masks are an important part of various ceremonies. They are worn as part of dances or ceremonies. These can celebrations, weddings, preparations for war, and thanksgiving ceremonies for good harvests, initiations or any number of other occasions. The masks are generally worn to represent some animal, spirit, deity or other figure that is part of the ceremony being performed. Some masks depict ancestors of a family and are passed down from generation to generation and become valuable heirlooms that are repaired when they need to be or remade repairs will no longer suffice. Whether it is a Masai tribal mask or some other African mask, these pieces of African culture play a large role in their communities.
So large is this role that the person who makes the mask is accorded no small amount of respect from the other members of the tribe. The master mask maker would appoint an apprentice and the competition to become his apprentice was very fierce. For most African tribes, the mask maker would make three different styles of masks. Vertical masks were worn on the face as we are all used to. Some masks were worn horizontally on top of the head with fabric hanging down to obscure the face. The most ornate masks where entire helmets that covered the entire head. Each different type of mask had its own meaning and purpose dependent on what the mask was to be used for. Even a collection of traditional Masai tribal masks would likely show a wide range of different assortments among them.
Any African mask that is made is created with a certain amount of mysticism and spiritualism involved. It is not just making a mask, but it is making a depiction of an important deity or spirit. While many of these masks are very beautiful and are considered works of art in their own right, the people hold them very dear. In fact masks would be different between different groups of the same tribe. Masai tribal masks might look very different on the east side of Kenya than they do on the west side of Kenya. People are only really starting to understand the magic behind these African masks today and as more is discovered we see an intricate belief and social system that is both marvelous and slightly disturbing.
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