Masque, Sénufo, Côte d'Ivoire / Mali

The Sénufo people, inhabiting the border regions of Côte d'Ivoire and Mali, are renowned for their powerful ceremonial masks used in Poro society initiation rites and funerary ceremonies. These masks, often depicting abstract human or animal features, serve as conduits between the living and ancestral spirits, playing a central role in Sénufo spiritual and social life. Crafted by specialized blacksmith-sculptors known as 'kule,' these objects represent some of the most celebrated examples of West African traditional art.