Malian wood mask, 'Senufo Hunter' (Ghana)
Perched atop an elongated mask coated in white clay, a bird leans down to caress its forehead. Salihu Ibrahim carves the piece by hand in the style of the Senufo people of Mali and the northern Cote d'Ivoire. Masks like this are worn by hunters before setting out to hunt, he says. It is believed the wearing of the mask gives good luck as white is a lucky color. The red pigments are achieved by grinding a red stone, while charcoal provides the black accents.