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199,99 USD This haunting mask is from an authenticHaitian voodoo altar.In Vodou, Damballah is one of the most important of all the loa (also spelled lwa). Damballah is the Sky God and considered the primordial creator of all life. The veve of Damballah comprises two serpents prominent among other emblems.Real Name: Dan-Ayido-Hwedo (possibly). Occupation: African god of curses and the dead. Legal Status: Citizen of Ala.He is both a member of the Rada family and a root, or racine Loa. In New Orleans and Haiti he is often depicted as a serpent and is closely associated with snakes. He is considered the father of all the loa as all Spirits are aspects of Damballah. His wife/companion Ayida Weddo, the rainbow serpent - he is also married to Erzulie Freda - is also a Loa of creation.Alternative names include Damballa Weddo (son of Odan Wedo), Danbala, Danbala Wedo, Damballah Weddo, Danbhala Weddo, Obatala. He is usually addressed respectfully as "Papa Damballah". Masks have been used since antiquity for both ceremonial and practical purposes. From magic rituals to theatrical disguises, and assumption of a assumed role playing identity.The word mask came via French masque and either Italian maschera or Spanish m'ascara. Possible ancestors are Latin (not classical) mascus, masca = "ghost", and Arabic maskharah = "jester", "man in masquerade". A mask is a covering for all or part of the face, worn to conceal ones identity. Often now a days a grotesque or humorous false face worn at a carnival, masquerade, Mardi gras etc.: Halloween masks. Maskara, an extended form of *mask-, prob. with orig. sense "black" (blackening the face being a simple form of disguise); another development of the same base is early ML masca witch, ghost.Masking was a form of aristocratic entertainment in England in the 16th and 17th centuries, originally consisting of pantomime and dancing but later including dialogue and song, presented in elaborate productions given by amateur and professional actors.Mask have been by seems means known to possess people and change their personality as they assume the role that the anonymity affords them. Think about the persona of Zorro, or the many superheros that use them in the comics to hide their identities.Masking refers to a broad spectrum of ceremonies and beliefs that have traditionally been practiced in Africa and other parts of the world. To wear a mask and its associated vestment was to conceal ones own identity in the guise of another. Whether this other was a spirit, ancestor, or another person-either revered or feared-the ceremony in which the masked performer participated marked a time of transition, when otherworldly powers were invoked to aid in human affairs. Masks played especially important roles in initiation and funerary rites, as markers of transition when the connections between this world and another were particularly strong. At such times humans sought to reaffirm the order of their society by reference to their beliefs and values exemplified by the masks. On this basis the mask carried the authority demanded by the occasion.In traditional Africa, in general, only men wore masks, although the mask itself could be male or female. If permitted to see the masks at all, even in public appearances, women were required to keep at a safe distance, since masks were considered dangerous to them. And only men-specialist carvers, blacksmiths, farmers, or ritual specialists-could make masks.Masks were worn in three different ways: as face masks, vertically covering the face; as helmets, encasing the entire head; and as crests, resting upon the head, which was commonly covered by a pliable, transparent material as part of the disguise.Because they are worn by people and intimately linked to the human body, African masks are mobile in their indigenous settings. They are animated by movement and music. Masquerades also impart a dimension of entertainment to the serious purposes for which they are used.Since the middle of this century, as the peoples of Africa have modified their tribal identities in order to organize themselves into modern, independent nations, masking ceremonies have generally become less integral to Africans way of life. But some exceptions-notably funerary masquerades-continue today.The origins and dates of African masks are highly debated, but some trace African masks back to pre-Paleolithic times, while others believe that there is not enough evidence to distinctly determine the exact origins of the African mask. Either way, the importance of the mask in African culture is real and is still used to this day in many different ways. When it comes to the themes and motifs employed in African masks, they range from more or less clearly recognizable human features or busts to the heads of animals. There are also combinations of the two, including horned humans and hybrid creatures with human and animal features or with traits typical of various animal species.The creators of these masks are expert woodcarvers, and are without exception men. In many cases, the skills that they possess are passed down from generation to generation. On the other hand, there are also many young boys that aspire to be expert woodcarvers and they are taught from a very young age. He might spend several years under a master carver learning the specific craft methods and how to create the products that are most in demand. Once the young man decides that he has learned the skills proficiently, he may go out on his own and open his own store. Many woodcarvers will use this as a form of supplemental income until they are able to make enough commissions to be a full-time traditional carver.The masks are most typically born of a large single piece of wood. The tools used are very simple and somewhat primitive which is why there is so much skill involved to produce such beautiful pieces of art. For some carvers, the entire process is a spiritual journey and they will even be cleansed before the carving process is initiated. Once the carving process is complete, the carvings are usually given some sort of color or texture. Traditionally, many different types of organic dyes and pigments were used which required a great deal of knowledge with regards to these raw materials (especially plants). Today, many of the masks are typically colored with different types of oil-based stains and dyes. The masks can then be adorned with a wide variety of native materials such as cowrie shells, metal, brass, fur, beads, dried grass, feathers and much more.The great majority of African masks are associated not with certain living persons, but directly or indirectly with supernatural beings or spirits. The performance of masked figures is generally thought to represent the visit of spirits from the beyond among men in the here and now. These supernatural interpretations usually represent spirits of ancestors, spirits from mythical traditions like gods or cultural heroes, spirits of nature, like animals, rain spirits as well as spirits that cause fertility or illness. Finally, some of these supernatural presences represent spirits of possession.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 sculptors aim is to depict a persons 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). **THESE ITEMS ARE ONE OF A KIND PIECESAND MOST OF MY BUYERS LOVE WITH THEIR ITEMS
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