African Tribal Mask

This is my entry to this weeks Blip Challenge 2011 - Spirit. The mask is a male one and was bought in Cape Town about 8 years ago. One of the best holidays I have ever had. One day we will return. Anyway, this is how it fits into the Challenge...

African masks often represent a spirit and it is strongly believed that the spirit of the ancestors possesses the wearer.

Ritual ceremonies generally depict deities, spirits of ancestors, mythological beings, good and or evil, the dead, animal spirits, and other beings believed to have power over humanity. Masks of human ancestors or totem ancestors (beings or animals to which a clan or family traces its ancestry) are often objects of family pride; when they are regarded as the dwelling of the spirit they represent, the masks may be honored with ceremonies and gifts.