Elephant Mask, Cameroon

• Object: Elephant Mask, Cameroon
• Artist: -
• Circa: -
• Dimensions: 22''L x 7.5''W x 5''H
• Culture Area: Cameroon / Africa
• Cultural Group: Bamileke
• Cultural Context: Elephant Mask – Kuosi Society, Bamileke Peoples Grassfields region, Cameroon This mask resembles the mask used by the members of the Elephant Society, the Kuosi Society, in the Bamileke kingdom of Cameroon as a dance mask. The masquerade, which involved not just a mask, but a costume, performers, musicians and attendants to bring this mask to life to do what it was really supposed to do in terms of honoring the king and bringing about social harmony. Elephants were symbols of rule and powerful symbols for the Fon. The Fon was a divine king who could transform into the elephant and was thought to be an animal that could transform into a human so we have that connection between divine rule and the essence of these powerful animals. So the Bamileke that would have worn this would have been court officials, titleholders, warriors, people that held themselves great power and in their association with the elephant would have expressed the power of the king, and in a sense the political stability of that hierarchical order. *Different source of reference* Among the most spectacular of these masks are the elephant mask which represent the power of the chief or ruler. It said that the Fon has the ability to change his shape into a leopard, a buffalo, or an elephant. All three of these animals are the embodiment of what a Fon is: powerful, fierce, and willing to defend his people. The elephant masks is made of dark, often deep indigo cloth and covered in beads and cowrie shells, symbols of wealth that outline and fill in the main features including large ears. The mask falls down the front of the wearer and imitation of the trunk, the person wearing the mask also wears a long decorated tunic of dark indigo cloth and has a large feathered crown. These masks are worn during special ceremonies and at funerals of important men. Highly stylized though as the entire mask is, it is dazzling, and it has a kind of optical quality that is full of energy and dynamism. When the mask was worn and danced and performed, it would be incredibly dynamic with all these various materials and colors and shapes all brought together to suggest the power of that king. And in Cameroon today the Bamileke still perform this ritual, now annually. But instead of warriors performing it (these are powerful members of the society) Reference: : A conversation with Dr. Peri Klemm and Dr. Steven Zucker in front of Elephant (aka) Mask, Kuosi Society, Bamileke Peoples, Grassfields region of Cameroon, 20th century. Cloth, beads, raffia, fiber. https://africa.uima.uiowa.edu/peoples/show/Babanki https://www.african-arts-gallery.com/african-art/African-mask/Babanki-Mask/12595#similar The Babanki are part of a larger cultural area known collectively as the Western Cameroon Grasslands and live in the northern part of Northwest Province. They originally came from an area to the north and migrated in various complex patterns throughout the last several centuries. Fulani traders moving steadily southwards into Cameroon in the 17th century forced the Babanki's southern drift. Many smaller ethnic groups combined, while other factions split away as a result of pressure from the invading Fulani. During the late 18th century, many Fulani converted to Islam and their expansionist policies grew as a result of religious zeal. They successfully converted many Babanki to Islam. https://africa.uima.uiowa.edu/peoples/show/Babanki https://www.randafricanart.com/Grasslands_elephant_mask_and_cane.html Written by student employee Debora Vitaliano, 09_08_2022
• Donor: Barbara & Hiro Narita
• Catalog #: 114.215