An effective blending of human and animal features characterizes elephant face masks from central Côte d'Ivoire. This mask captures the essential traits of the forest elephant, which is smaller than the savanna variety and disappearing from the forests of western Africa. The mask's human traits can be seen in the linear patterns on the forehead that indicate the hairline and suggest a coiffure.

In central Côte d'Ivoire masking, the elephant denotes the power to transform and respond to change, a marked contrast to its meaning in regalia, such as flywhisks and staffs, that tend to affirm the stability and authority of the chief.

Print text