Mask

Kawnggoli. Wooden. Grotesque with coarsely stylized features: the high nose proceeds directly from the forehead, the ears are deeply excavated semicircular lobes continuous with the strong malar prominences, the gaping mouth occupies the center of a lozenge set off from the upper part of the face by two convergent ridges. The mask si surrounded by a heavy raphia fiber fringe. Such masks are "international" in the southern part of Sierra Leone. They are worn by dancers in the streets of Freetown or Bonthe as well as in the native villages and have now no function beyond amusement. Cf. 37-22-261.