Beaded Elephant Society Masks from the Cameroon Grasslands
Elephants are the world’s most commanding land creatures, unsurpassed in grandeur and power, and are thus fully appropriate symbols of power and authority. The elementary force, brilliant color, and dynamic movement of the Bamileke’s elephant masquerade have made it one of the continent’s most famous visual spectacles. Prior to the mid 20th century (before the discontinuation of traditional functions), members of the Elephant Society met regularly on a particular day of their eight-day week. Such gatherings served to carry out the society’s mission, namely to practice music and dance for celebrations, to create cohesion between the members, and to socialize.
Performances took place during annual festivals, celebrations, and funerals. The masqueraders danced barefoot, in a slow procession, carrying spears, horsetails, and poles. As they whistled “mysteriously and tunelessly,” they danced very deliberately, accompanied only by a drum and an iron gong. Masqueraders were later joined by chiefs and princesses, who paraded by an elaborate tent in which high-ranking men sat in observation. At the climax, a masker would hurl his horsetail to the chief, the crowd would cheer, and the celebration would continue, but with more vigorous dancing and acrobatic feats performed primarily by younger maskers. At the close of festivities, the crowd’s favorite masqueraders were rewarded with kola nuts and wine.
The photograph below depicts members of the Elephant society in Bandjoun, Cameroon, and was taken by Frank Christol in 1928.
Elephant masks comprise cloth panels and hoods woven from plantain fiber over raffia. On this background, multicolored beads are stitched in geometric patterns. The basic form depicts salient features of the elephant—a long trunk and large ears. The hood fits tightly over the masker’s head, and two hanging panels, one behind and one in front, partially conceal the body. While the mask symbolizes an elephant, the face is human. Eyeholes provide visibility, and a nose and mouth with teeth are normally present. These masks are often worn with robes of dark woven fiber covered with small fiber knobs or indigo and white tie-dyed royal ndop cloth. The robes contrast greatly with the masqueraders’ bright red legs, dyed with camwood. Costumes can also include beaded vests with broad belts and leopard pelts attached at the back (Brain, Bangwa Funerary Sculpture; Northern, The Sign of the Leopard: Beaded Art of Cameroon; Ross, Elephant: The Animal and Its Ivory in African Culture).
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