Baule-Style Ndoma Portrait Mask, C. 1950

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To relieve stress and uplift their community, the Baule people of modern-day Côte d'Ivoire engage in a daylong masquerade known … Read more To relieve stress and uplift their community, the Baule people of modern-day Côte d'Ivoire engage in a daylong masquerade known as the Mblo. A series of dances that escalate in complexity and intensity, the Mblo ends by honoring a distinguished member of the community with a mask carved in their likeness. Known as Ndoma, or "namesake" masks, such masks are typically commissioned by men to honor their female relatives and are considered artistic doubles of the person represented. This example dates to the mid- to late-20th century and embodies many of the characteristic feminine features of the traditional Ndoma mask: an oval face, high forehead, downcast eyes, and small mouth. See less