Overview

• Vintage item from the 20th century

• Materials: Wood

Punu masks represent idealized female ancestors' faces. The white color of the mask is genderless; white is a symbol for peace, deities, spirits of the dead, and the afterlife. The masks have realistic, mostly white but sometimes black faces with protruding pursed lips, globular protruding eyes incised with a curve, high-domed foreheads, and characteristic rigid high coiffures reflecting the Punu women's hair styles. Many Punu masks can be recognized by raised diamond-shape scarification marks on the foreheads and temples. The performances of the masks are nowadays intended primarily to entertain audiences on festive occasions. In performances the dancers, wearing costumes of raffia or cotton fabric and animal pelts, move with amazing acrobatic agility on stilts up to six and a half feet in height.

In excellent condition.

Measures: 32 cm tall, 18 cm wide, 15.8 cm deep

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Please note, antique & vintage pieces are considered used, and some may have slight imperfections or wear, as to be expected of antique/vintage items. We will note any major flaw, defects, etc. Photographs are also part of the description & at times can cause items to appear larger than they are. The color on the item may vary slightly from the color on your screen due to monitor color restrictions.