Bena Mask

Tanzanian masks can be difficult to identify precisely as few field studies were conducted, communities are spread out and terrain was poorly served by roads up until modern times. Unlike parts of West Africa, where carvers were able to refine their skills through the establishment of workshops over generations that served tight-knit communities, sculptors in much of East Africa lacked formal training and continuity with previous generations of artists. As a result, the masks often read to the Western eye as unrefined. Masks identified within a single ethnic group, even those of the same vintage, can diverge in form, surface and detail. This mask for instance has a very basic overall form, round eyes, a steep pyramidal nose and a rectangular mouth. Holes in the chin indicate that at one time it had a beard of animal hair. These features are found in some Sumbwa, Nyamwezi and Bena masks, and not others. The Sumbwa and Nyamwezi are near neighbors. The Bena live hundreds of kilometers away across bush country that even today consists largely of wildlife reserves. $650

9″

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