{"product_id":"huge-nafana-bedu-plank-miniature-mask-cote-divoire-155337","title":"Huge Nafana Bedu Plank Miniature Mask Côte d'Ivoire","description":"\u003cp data-end=\"483\" data-start=\"123\"\u003eThe Bedu plank mask is a distinctive sculptural form associated with the Nafana people, an Akan-speaking group living in the border region of southeastern Ivory Coast and southwestern Ghana. These masks reflect the rich spiritual traditions and social structures of the Nafana, particularly in their use within secret societies and ritual contexts.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"972\" data-start=\"485\"\u003eUnlike fully three-dimensional masks carved in the round, the Bedu plank mask is characterized by its flat, board-like form, usually fashioned from a single piece of wood. The surface is often painted or coated with pigment — commonly white kaolin clay — providing a luminous, chalky ground that contrasts with natural wood or other pigments. Red accents or inlays are sometimes applied around eyeholes or along carved motifs, adding rhythmic patterning and visual intensity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1290\" data-start=\"974\"\u003eBedu masks typically present a stylized face with simple, geometric features. The large, simplified eyes and mouth openings give the piece a powerful, almost abstract presence. The minimal, graphic design emphasizes symbolic rather than naturalistic representation, a hallmark of many West African performance masks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"1754\" data-start=\"1292\"\u003eFunctionally, Bedu masks play an important role in ritual performances, initiation ceremonies, funerary rites, and community festivals. Worn or carried by initiated members of male secret societies, the masks are believed to embody protective spirits, to guide moral conduct, and to maintain social harmony. They act as intermediaries between the visible world and ancestral or spiritual forces, reinforcing cultural values and continuity across generations.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-end=\"2056\" data-start=\"1756\"\u003eToday, Nafana Bedu plank masks are admired both within their cultural context and by collectors for their bold form, striking surface treatment, and evocative spiritual presence — embodying a fusion of aesthetics and cosmology that makes them compelling expressions of West African artistic heritage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"Polaris-Box\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"_ActivatorWrapper_1dzj6_55\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv id=\"PRODUCT.metafields.custom.height_in_-anchor\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Edit Height (In) metafield\" class=\"_ActivatorButton_1dzj6_59\" tabindex=\"0\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"_RowWrapper_1dzj6_4\"\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"_FormFieldLabel_1dzj6_30\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"Polaris-Text--root Polaris-Text--bodyMd\"\u003eHeight (In) 68.0\u003cbr\u003eWidth (In) 22.0\u003cbr\u003eDepth (In) 3.0\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e155337\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"sku 155000","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51451603452199,"sku":"155337","price":550.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0826\/1015\/9911\/files\/1_94fc552d-8dd5-435d-9952-ad5c3eee49dc.png?v=1781199927","url":"https:\/\/africadirect.com\/products\/huge-nafana-bedu-plank-miniature-mask-cote-divoire-155337","provider":"Africa Direct","version":"1.0","type":"link"}