Sukuma Mask with Traces of Blue

Sukuma masks are typically box-like with a squarish format: top, sides, bottom and facial plane. This example is more rounded than most. Suku masks can be fashioned from very dense timber, as in this example, which can make some examples surprisingly heavy. The Sukuma are the largest ethnic group in Tanzania. The speak the same language, Kinyamwezi, as their neighbors to the south, the Nyamwezi—the second largest ethnic group in Tanzania. The Sukuma and Nyamwezi are thought to have once been a single people. Aside from sharing a language, their masks are similar. This is a well used mask estimated to date to the 1950s. $750

9″ H

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