This is a beautiful tribal mask hand crafted in Ghana, West Africa by members of Ashanti tribe. It’s carved of a solid piece of wood. Some parts are covered with black clay and have beads and bronze inlay over it. The entire work was done by hands. Beads and bronze inlay make it truly unique and different. On the forehead it has one of the Adinkra symbols, called “Sankofa” which means “learn from the past”. Literally “sanko” means “return” and “fa” means “take”. It is about the importance of past cultural values that are needed today. It is also believed that progress is based on the right use of the positive contributions of the past. Sankofa teaches us the wisdom in learning from the past, which helps in building the future. It also teaches people to cherish and value their culture.
   This type of masks are used in two types of events: initiation ceremonies and masquerade performances. It is believed that dancing brings the masks to life. They are believed to connect the spiritual and the physical realms, and awaken the spirits of the ancestors to life to give advise.
There are no two masks that are identical. But each one is beautiful and gives a room a very special look. You can easily hang it on the wall – the mask has a leather loop on the back.