Description
There are objects that speak before you ask.
This mask is one of them.
Worn in ceremonies by the Bamileke people of western Cameroon, these masks were not just ornaments — they were beings. Carriers of spirits, protectors of memory. They didn’t aim to replicate a human face but to evoke something deeper: the presence of animals revered by the community — buffalo, deer, elephants, birds.
Its body is made from reinforced fabric and natural fibers — often raffia or straw — carefully hand-sewn into a conical shape. The surface is scattered with glass and coral beads, some imported, others long gone. You can feel time stitched into every thread and every missing bead.
This isn’t a pristine object. It’s a survivor.
From the worn texture to the unravelled details, every imperfection tells you: this piece lived. Maybe it stood at the center of a ritual, maybe it hung on a family wall, maybe it rested in a chest that smelled of earth.
What we know for sure?
It’s one of a kind.
And now it’s waiting for its next chapter.
This post is also available in: Spanish
