Old Sukuma Mask – Tanzania

Cm. 33,0 high x cm. 19,0 width (12.99″ x 7.48″); grams 466,0 (16.44 oz.).

This fine Sukuma mask displays a powerful expression, with an open rectangular-shaped mouth. The mask has been carved from a brown dense wood. Trace of pigment. Clear traces of ritual use.

The Sukuma are a Bantu ethnic group from the southeastern African Great Lakes region. They live in Tanzania in small villages of Usukuma to the west and south of Lake Victoria.

The Sukuma believe in a creator god and in the eternal spirits of the ancestors. They are led by the leaders and wisdom of the men of medicine.

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