African Masks in Metal

Mask making is a major tradition in West and Central Africa. Most of us think of masks that are disguises, but in Africa masks are an important part of history and ceremony. They are used in religious and social events to represent spirits, legendary animals, or mythological beings. Many Africans use masks in initiations, in the rituals of secret societies, in coming of age ceremonies, and in public ceremonies such as funerals, harvest celebrations and acts of thanksgiving.

Once a person puts on a mask, he stops acting like himself and behaves like the animal or person the mask represents. They come to life, possessed by the spirit in the performance of the dance, and are enhanced by both the music and atmosphere of the occasion. Some masks combine human and animal features to unite man with his natural environment. This bond with nature is of great importance to the people of Africa and through the ages masks have always been used to express this relationship.

Wood is the most common material used for making African masks. The wood used for mask making comes from local forests and is carved with an adzee, a cutting tool that has a thin, arched blade set at a right angle to the handle. Besides wood, mask makers may further decorate the mask with ivory, metals, beads and paint, it or by attaching other materials, such as feathers, horns, or fiber to it. Carvers believed that the tools they used had special powers and that the wood itself housed a living spirit.

I've done masks in clay with 5th graders before, but I have a new 5th grade ceramics course this year that all students will participate in, so I dropped clay out of the studio course. I decided to try doing masks in 36-gauge aluminum instead and was inspired by this lesson and this lesson that I found online. Students were sure to include some of the main characteristics of African masks- symmetry, elongated and exaggerated features, animal and human elements, and pattern. Wooden tools were used to emboss the metal before blank India ink was applied to give the surface a patina. Students used steel wool to buff away the ink from the raised areas of the mask and finally added raffia, wood and bone beads and pops of color if desired. I LOVE THESE!

 

 A couple pics of kids working: