Well carved helmet mask of the Bamileke People Grassland of Cameroon    395 $ 

Well carved helmet mask of the Bamileke People, Grassland of Cameroon around 1950, former collection of Dr. Heinz Werner Schmitt, Munich/Germany.

Size: 42 cm height. Good condition with great patina and some scrapes and scratches. Great.

The Bamileke are among the artistic elite of the Cameroon Grasslands area. They are ruled by kings, and many of their masks are for royal festivities. Masks like this one belonged to the regulatory society, (Kwifoyn). They are identified as leader masks , Nkang, Nkam, Akam, lead a group of masks, and use two staffs to punish. Nkang symbolizes male authority and strength. Nkang masks was used at funerals of important members of the society, during seasonal annual festivals and to entertain the community.

The art of the grasslands area of Cameroon is a royal art, devoted to the veneration of ancestors and the enrichment of the Fon, or main chief. The Cameroon Grasslands is a large and extremely diverse cultural area, inhabited by a large number of related peoples. The main groups are the Bamilike, Bamum, and Bamenda Tikar. The Bamileke are one of the artistically elite groups of the Cameroon Grasslands, along with the Bamun and the Bamenda Tikar. These groups produce an array of beautiful and unique objects, which are used almost exclusively by the royal courts of the regional Fon. There are also numerous, still-smaller groups, which are loosely affiliated with one another and share many historical and political similarities. All of these groups originally came from an area to the north, scattering in complex patterns during the last several centuries. Fulani traders moving steadily southwards into Cameroon during the 17th century forced the southern movement of most of the current residents. The dense forests, though now disappearing, and the scattered nature of the many tiny villages, have made the study of this area a daunting task for ethnologists, and has prevented the development of a ''school of thought concerning their artistic output.

For similar examples see Tamara Nortthern, Expressions of Cameroon Art.

Shipping included.

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