Mbole Wooden Mask Mali

The Mbole live in independent villages headed by a chief chosen from the elders of each extended family. Social and spiritual order is maintained through various societies, run by healers, elders, and powerful women. The carvings which put Mbole sculpture on the "map" are those of the Lilwa Society, a powerful group headed by a leader known as the "Isoya." The Lilwa oversees most aspects of the daily life of each village, but judicial proceedings are perhaps their most important duty. Justice is swift for those found guilty of major offenses, with hanging as the punishment. Families of each hanged individual are required to produce a small figure representing the deceased. The shape and design of each figure is static, but very distinctive, with hands on thighs, shoulders hunched over in a position of defeat, an enlarged, abstract head, and a downward-looking, heart-shaped white face. Reportedly containing the soul of the executed, the figures are kept in special forest huts and used during initiations to emphasize the importance of good behavior. The other village societies use similar figures, but their differentiation is rather esoteric. The Mbole do use masks on rare occasions, but most that exist were field-collected and rather vague in appearance, having incised or painted linear designs below the eyes, resembling tears. The Yela, a neighboring group, use masks with almost the same look. The Mbole also forge massive copper ankle cuffs, used as currency on rare but important transactions, which are very popular with collectors.

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