History

• The history of tribal masks goes back thousands, if not tens of thousands, of years. Thousands of tribes in Africa had masks that often served spiritual purposes or purposes of war.
  
  

Functions

• The function of the African tribal mask was most often a social and sacred thing. Masks would be brought out for celebrations or sacred ceremonies to represent the tribes' bonds with the land and nature.
  
  

Material

• Material used for these tribal masks varied greatly. Most were carved with wood and dyed with local colors, but there are some modern masks made from stone or even bronze.
  
  

Patterns

• Patterns vary greatly from tribe to tribe and mask to mask. Different shapes, carvings, or paintings can denote social status, gender, magical powers, religious powers, or other coded information.
  
  

African Masks as Sacred Objects

• African tribal masks were often considered sacred within each tribe and were brought out for festivals and events that were considered important.
  
  

Modern Usage

• Some tribes put on shows with their native dances and tribal masks, but in modern times just as often basic tribal masks are mass produced by hand to sell to tourists.