AF648: Salampasu Mask

A fine Salampasu mask made entirely of woven natural raffia fiber. A good strong example of a rare form of mask. The Salampasu were a fierce warring tribe with a graded warrior clan that had different masks for different levels of initiation. Because of the age the beard is brittle and sheds small pieces of fiber when it is handled.     

20 inches tall with the beard 10 inches wide. Early 20th century, D. R. Congo, Africa.