History, culture, ritual, spirituality… these are some common adjectives used to describe African masks.
These African masks almost always have a spiritual meaning that may not be readily apparent to the Western society. The unorthodox edges and odd caricatures of certain masks may appear frightening to the Westerner not familiar with their significance.
Most African masks are actively used in religious, spiritual and societal ceremonies. The most common are harvest festivals, initiation rites, reunion celebrations, war preparations and peace gatherings. Other common uses involve deaths, births and marriages.
Spiritualy they are used for royal or priestly ancestors, renowned warriors or hunters, cultural heroes and spirits of nature like wildlife and bush to name a few.