Mask (mbap mteng): Elephant (aka)
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Cleveland Museum of Art Object Description
The name given to masks like this, mbap mteng, means "animal with huge ears." In the Cameroon Grassfields kingdoms the elephant signifies power, authority, prestige, and leadership. The colorful glass beads that decorate the mask’s surface were imported from Venice and Bohemia (in Europe) and signal wealth and prosperity. Members of Kuosi, an exclusive male secret society, wore such elephant masks for ritual dances and funerary ceremonies.
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All Works in Curationist’s archives can be reproduced and used freely. How to attribute this Work:
Mask (mbap mteng): Elephant (aka), early 1900s, Cleveland Museum of Art. CC0.
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