Mende Gongoli Mask, Sierra Leone

$ 3,400.00 $ 6,800.00
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  • Mende Gongoli Mask, Sierra Leone

  • "Standing two feet high, with ungainly jutting ears, puffed-out cheeks, and grimacing teeth, this mask from the Mende people is not pretty. But prettiness was not the goal of the mask's carver. Rather, this mask, customarily worn with a costume of dead leaves and rags, intentionally challenges the standards of beauty in society. The jolting and awkward dance performed with the mask represents the ugliest and most ridiculous aspects of human nature, forcing the audience to confront both what is aesthetically and emotionally challenging." 

    Yale University Art Gallery

    "The Gongoli mask performed as a comic figure at village celebrations. Unlike other Mende masked characters which are silent, Gongoli speaks in a gravelly voice, mocking the chief and village elders. The mask has no sacred affiliations and can be carved and danced by anyone. Raffia, metal, white clay, red ocher and enamel are included in the materials used on this mask. Three 'tear' marks on either cheek act simultaneously as scarification andas viewing holes for the dancer."

  • Poro Society Mask, Mende Tribe, Ivory Coast, Africa. 21"H. Blackened wood, This large mask has a bulbous forehead with an extremely reduced interpretation of the face. Closely incised lines at the top represent hair. Among the Mende the Poro Society has great political importance, suppling the mystical authority which was absent in the secular figure of the Mende Chief. The Poro Society helped to better relations between communities and modern political parties have sometime used their services to advantage.
    JRW 4/80 See African Arts in 1980-81 for more information.
  • Ugly! This is the reaction that the Mende audience has when seeing this mask in performance. The uglier, the better. The function of the Gongoli performance is to show the worst side of human nature: deformed, disheveled, chaotic, undisciplined, deceptive, and antisocial. The mask is worn with a hideous costume of dead leaves and rags. The movements of the performer are disjointed, erratic, awkward, and amusing. Gongoli masks are usually owned by private individuals and may appear at any celebration.
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