Original price was: $300.00.$150.00Current price is: $150.00.
1 in stock
This mask was carved in the style of the Makonde people of Tanzania. It features a deeply pigmented mask with subtle facial scarification, and real hair attached to the top. The mask measures 9 inches tall and weighs 1.5 pounds. There are cracks, scrapes and scuffs, missing hair – please inspect photos.
This is a piece from the Dave Dahl Collection. Please feel free to contact us with your best offers! Please include item title or SKU.
| Type of Object | Helmet Mask |
|---|---|
| Country of Origin | Tanzania |
| Ethnicity | Makonde |
| Material | Wood, Pigment, Hair |
| Approximate Age | Unknown |
| Height (Inches) | 9" |
| Width (Inches) | 9.5" |
| Depth (Inches) | 11.5” |
| Weight (Pounds) | 1.5 lbs |
| Overall Condition | Cracks, scrapes, scuffs, missing hair |
The Makonde people reside throughout Tanzania, Mozambique and Kenya. The groups living in Tanzania and Mozambique are divided by the Ruvuma River. Those on the Mozambique side are known as Maconde. The two groups have developed separate languages over time but share certain ideas.
The Makonde are a matrilineal society, meaning inheritances belong to women and typically, the husband will move to the village of his wife. Each village is an individual settlement with their own headman. There is no ruler of all the Makonde peoples.
Due to the remoteness of the Makonde, they did not have contact with the Europeans until the early 1900’s, although there is evidence of involvement with Swahili slave traders for centuries.
