BABANKI STYLE ELEPHANT MASK, also known as BALI ELEPHANT MASK- WESTERN GRASSLANDS Cameroon
Most of the wooden masks from Cameroon Grasslands of this type belong to an ensemble of some twenty masks owned by royal lineages
and chiefs that are performed during funerals and annual festivals. These lineage masks include both anthropomorphic and zoomorphic types,
the latter representing such animals as buffaloes, apes, sheep and various species of birds. Elephant masks are only occasionally included in
this group, since the elephant, like the leopard, is considered a royal animal and the use of an elephant mask is therefore the special privilege
of certain lineages. Whenever an elephant masquerader is present, he assumes the second most important position after the human kam
masquerader. The elephant figure is the first to appear on the dance ground and the last to leave it, and in accordance with his status, his
movements are stately and slow. The elephant mask is worn horizontally on the head and can be classified in the well-known Babanki style of Northwestern Grassland of Cameroon
Most of the wooden masks from Cameroon Grasslands of this type belong to an ensemble of some twenty masks owned by royal lineages
and chiefs that are performed during funerals and annual festivals. These lineage masks include both anthropomorphic and zoomorphic types,
the latter representing such animals as buffaloes, apes, sheep and various species of birds. Elephant masks are only occasionally included in
this group, since the elephant, like the leopard, is considered a royal animal and the use of an elephant mask is therefore the special privilege
of certain lineages. Whenever an elephant masquerader is present, he assumes the second most important position after the human kam
masquerader. The elephant figure is the first to appear on the dance ground and the last to leave it, and in accordance with his status, his
movements are stately and slow. The elephant mask is worn horizontally on the head and can be classified in the well-known Babanki style of Northwestern Grassland of Cameroon