It can be a struggle attempting to balance respecting your ancestors versus wanting to add more decor to your personal space. We may be more likely to know about the history of African masks, but what if we don’t?
African masks have been used for spiritual rituals for centuries, with the Senufo mask being one of the more-known masks today. Those who wear it were believed to have the ability to connect with ancestors. That connection, however, could be in jeopardy.
In modern times, these masks are replicated heavily across the globe, so it’s hard to get an authentic mask. But museums that are mostly not African-owned or affiliated have the funds to buy these authentic masks. While some may dig into the history of the uses of these masks, many museums today will have a brief description of these artifacts or no description at all. This diminishes our culture.
Spiritually speaking, it’s not necessarily bad to have these masks in your home if they’re not authentic or if you have no plans of using them for rituals. But there’s one thing we can do to help preserve our culture.
We can simply respect that they can hold much spiritual value that our ancestors were grateful for. And above all, learn about the meaning and history behind them as much as you can.