This is a very unusual decorative mask from Kenya, East Africa. In Kenya the Akamba woodcarver is famous for his ability to take a single piece of wood and craft it into a magnificent work of art. In recent years the Akamba have also diversified and started designing new works of art from clay. After fashioning the river clay into a mask they then fire the mask in one of their home- made kilns. Afterwards they take homemade dyes and paint different face designs which all have different symbolism in the Akamba culture. This particular mask also has shells on the outer edges of the mask. I was told by some that the teeth in this mask come from baboons, however I suspect they are cow or goat teeth. As a gift or a personal treasure, this art piece represents a combination of the old and new styles: aesthetically beautiful, typically African in detail and expression, and totally hand crafted. This clay carving is best suited, as a wall hanging. This mask is approximately 12 inches long x 6 inches wide. In rough woodsheds and under the shade of the mango trees, Akamba wood carvers work in a craft-cooperative, surrounded with sounds of chipping and sanding, men’s voices and laughter, occasional singing and the spicy, tangy smell of exotic woods. Here the craftsmen mold clay and reduce single pieces of wood into useful and beautiful pieces of folk art, using only simple hand tools of axes, various-sized knives, files and sandpaper. The Akamba people are famous all over the world for their unique wood carving skills, which are passed from generation to generation. I have met Akamba men who were 5th generation wood carvers. |