Kpeliyee Mask with Two Snakes

Origin: Senufo Tribe, Ivory Coast
Composition: wood, pigment stain

This mask, with its clear, refined, natural features, is known as kpeilyee, or "beautiful lady," and is danced by men who perform in female charachter. There are hundreds of variations of kpeliyee masks, and their symbolism is rich and esoteric. Many encode knowledge of the Poro secret society, and appear in restricted Poro dances as well as in public dances that everyone can attend. The incredible complexity, naturalism and craftsmanship of this piece demonstrate why the Senufo are commonly regarded as the most skilled carvers in West Africa (Ref: Visona, A History of Art In Africa).

The 1.5 million Senufo tribespeople live principally off the fruits of agriculture and occasionally hunting. They inhabit villages governed by a council of elders, who in turn are led by a chief elected from their number. Tribal cohesion is reinforced through the rituals of the Poro (men's) and Sandogo (women's) societies that initiate and educate children from the age of seven onwards. The Senufo art is characterized by its highly realistic features and highly geometric shapes that emphasize rhythm and the opposition between void (negative) and full spaces (Bacquart,  Tribal Arts of Africa).