Producer unknown to us
Mask
Africa, Tanzania/Mosamique
20th century
Clay, formed
Karl-Ferdinand Schädler (economist)
Donation to the museum by Schädler in 2004
MAf 36193
Compared to their wooden counterparts, the terracotta masks of the Makonde community emerged relatively late, in the second half of the 20th century. They were used exclusively during female initiation rites in Tanzania or Mozambique. In most cases, they are an exact copy of the wooden masks that were worn and crafted exclusively by male members of the community. Just like those, they depict women, men, or animals. However, they were modeled by the female members of the community, who devoted themselves to pottery. This type of mask and the associated dances are probably significantly older than we know, but we do not possess enough information about them at the moment. They are reserved for the female members of the community and can certainly be considered a challenge to the men, as the right to craft and wear these masks was historically reserved for them. This mask was donated to the museum by Karl-Ferdinand Schädler in 2004.
Stefanie Bach