KWELE PEOPLE

Kwele Mask

KWELE PEOPLE

Kwele Mask

AAL1033
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Kwele's masks with two large horns represent the antelope whose meat was consumed at the end of the "beete" ritual. The weeklong "beete" ritual would open with the men leaving for the forest to hunt the antelope, whose meat, seasoned with medicine, would have to be eaten in a meal at the closing ceremony. The faces of the Kwele are usually painted with white kaolin earth, a pigment associated by the Kwele as light and clarity, the two essential factors in the fight against evil. The Kwele masks originate from the tropical forests of Gabon on the west coast of Africa and are hand sculpted by the Bwete association. Heart-shaped Kwele masks are among the most beautiful forms of African art.

It is made of carved wood and pigments.

Length : 31 cm

Height : 37.5 cm

Width : 6.5 cm

Weight : 736 g

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