Masks In African Art

Unlike Western art during this time, African art was a functional part of African culture, everyday life, and traditional festivals. All art forms helped knit together members of the society. Africans used masks in order to symbolize the spirits, in their religious rituals. The enormous, sometimes scary mask gave control to the "spirits" which helped to maintain authority. The masks symbolized power, strength, and courage. They were often stylized with horns and tall heads, but most of them had basic human features. The highly abstract facial features empathized the larger-than-life feel of the mask

Ododua mask, like the one featured at the National Museum of African Art, were used in rituals throughout the year. Ododua meaning creator God