Old Tribal Tsogo Mask ---Gabon

Details about  Old Tribal Tsogo Mask ---Gabon

SPOTTED DOG DESIGN

Material

Wood

Colour

BLUE, WHIE, RED AND BROWN

Qty

1

ORIGEN

Gabon

Weight

544g

LENGTH

25cm

Many African societies see masks as mediators between the living world and the supernatural world of the dead, ancestors and other entities. Masks became and still become the attribute of a dressed up dancer who gave it life and word at the time of ceremonies.

In producing a mask, a sculptor's aim is to depict a person's psychological and moral characteristics, rather than provide a portrait.

The sculptor begins by cutting a piece of wood and leaving it to dry in the sun; if it cracks, it cannot be used for a mask. African sculptors see wood as a complex living material and believe each piece can add its own feature to their work. Having made certain the wood is suitable, the sculptor begins, using an azde to carve the main features, a chisel to work on details and a rough leaf to sand the piece.

He then paints the mask with pigments such as charcoal (to give a black colour), powders made from vegetable matter or trees (for ochre/earth tones) or mineral powders like clay (to give a white colour).

African peoples often symbolize death by the colour white rather than black; at the same time, many African cultures see white as the colour that links them to their ancestors, and it can therefore have a positive meaning.

Less known than their Fang, Kwele and Punu neighbors in Gabon, the Tsogo use sculpted ancestor figures and faces to embellish their architectural elements such as house posts, pillars and door frames and lintels.  Tsogo masks are controlled by the Bwiti men's initiation society. The masks represent supernatural beings, each type has its own name and symbolism. They are used in initiation and funeral ceremonies and share the kaolin white surface with their Gabon neighbors, the Fang, Punu and Kwele.