Hand Carved African Tribal Giraffe Mask From Kenya
Size: 30 cm
A beautiful hand carved wooden Giraffe mask that has been hand carved by the tribal members of the Maasai (Masai) Mare tribe In Kenya. The hand carved tribal mask is carved with the look of a Zebra but carved with details of Africa tribal patterns. In the forehead of the mask there are two Maasai (Masai) Mara tribesmen that are looking towards each other and surrounded by traditional African tribal patterns. The wooden Giraffe mask is set in the wonderful bright colors that have become symbolic of Maasai (Masai) mask carvings.
The Maasai (Masai) tribe live in Eastern Africa, mainly in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania along the Great Rift Valley. They are predominantly a warrior tribe whose lives revolve around herding cattle. One of their beliefs is that God entrusted His cattle to them. Thus, they measure their wealth by the number of cattle they acquire. A stereotypical image most people have of the Maasai (Masai) warrior is that of a tall and slender man clutching a spear in one hand with his red cloth wrapped around his waist or over his shoulders and jumping one spot for ages.
Centuries ago the Maasai (Masai) were feared as ruthless conquerors and cattle rustlers who invaded other tribal areas in search of bigger grazing land and more cattle. The Maasai (Masai) are also famous for drinking a mixture of cattle blood and milk during ceremonial rites.
Maasai (Masai) masks are a traditional part of the tribe and used in traditional ceremonies. Many mask are often carved with an African animal in mind and will take on some part of that animals feature.
Each African Giraffe mask is an "original" work of art, individually hand carved, no two are exactly alike which adds to the value of each piece. The original nature of tribal art will be reflected by variances from the Giraffe mask as shown, each piece of a specific style is similar, but not identical
