Yangaleya Mask

Origin: Ligbi Tribe, Ivory Coast
Composition: wood, pigment stain, cotton

In this type of mask, human features are combined with the powerful bill of the yangaleya bird, or hornbill. Yangaleya masks are among the most popular of those used by the Do society. They are danced in honor of distinguished holy men, and their performances mark the end of the 'id al-fitr celebrations. The masqueraders are greatly admired for the grace of their dance movements, which they perform in pairs and in perfect unison.

Yangaleya masks are also valued for their positive qualities ascribed to the hornbill, whose behavior and family life are considered exemplary by the Ligbi and Dyula. Many other peoples of the Guinea coast, such as the Senufo, likewise attach great importance to this bird, considering it one of the mythical, primeval animals, an attendant on the souls of the ancestors, and a symbol of fertility (Passage from Herzog, African Masks).

This mask was purchased in the Ivory Coast in 2001, and is a spectacular, elegant, striking piece, carved from a single piece of wood.