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- A long, narrow face with an elegant vertical profile
- Almost closed, slit-shaped eyes
- A slender, strongly projecting nose
- Small, restrained mouth
- Raised scarification marks beside and above the eyes
- Geometric projections around the face
- A tall central crest or hornlike extension
- A broad, rounded lower element resembling a stylized beard, collar, or framing device
- Numerous holes around the back rim for attaching fiber, cloth, raffia, or another part of a costume
Kpeliye’e masks characteristically combine an idealized human face with geometric side projections, scarification and an elaborate crest.
Kpeliye’e masks were connected with Senufo community ceremonies and, in some areas, with thePoro association, which guided education, initiation, morality and community responsibilities. Masks could appear at funerals, commemorations and other important public occasions.
Despite being worn and danced by men, the refined face frequently represents an idealized young woman. The smooth, controlled expression suggests:
- Beauty and composure
- Moral refinement
- Fertility and continuity
- Respect for ancestors
- The proper balance between human society and the spiritual world
The Art Institute of Chicago notes that the glossy dark surface of certain kpeliye’e masks evokes the smooth, oiled skin associated with an ideal of youthful feminine beauty.
The mask appears to have been carved from a single piece of relatively lightweight wood. The front was stained or coated to produce its very dark brown-black surface.
The photographs of the back are especially useful. They show:
- Hand hollowing with visible cutting and scraping marks
- An irregular interior rather than a machine-smoothed cavity
- Open eye slits that would have permitted limited vision
- Numerous drilled attachment holes around the perimeter
- Considerable difference between the dark finished front and lighter unfinished interior
- Age-related oxidation and surface grime
These features confirm that it was constructed in the form of a wearable face mask. They do not, by themselves, prove that it was ceremonially danced; masks were also carved with fully functional holes and interiors for the art and tourist trade.
There are signs consistent with age:
- Oxidation and discoloration inside the mask
- Rounded handling wear on some edges
- Old surface abrasions
- Drying cracks
- Losses and separation in the broad lower section
- Accumulated material in recesses
