The Fagalde Collection of West African Tribal Art - The African Maternity Figures

Afo peoples, Nigeria,
19th century (wood)

Afo maternity figures are thought to represent an ancestral mother and are owned by individual villages.These figures are brought out of their shrines once a year for the Aya ceremony. At this time, men pray for increased fertility in their wives and make gifts of food and money to the ancestor... (read more...)

Figures representing a mother and child seem to occur less frequently than other subjects, such as chiefs or warriors on horseback, reclining or kneeling females, or animals, especially snakes. The meaning of these ancient maternity figures is unknown. Perhaps such figures served as symbols of the primordial mother or another mythical figure in the history of a clan in which the sculpture originated. Regrettably, the stratigraphic context in which most of these objects have been discovered and other pertinent data are unknown. Even so, it is possible to date the objects... (continue...)

The Fagalde Collection of West African Tribal Art: History of the Marka Masks of Mali, West Africa

The masks of the Marka (a Mande subgroup) originated in the landlocked country of Mali, West Africa.

Long ago masks such as the Marka were thought to be extremely powerful and had the ability to frighten away evil spirits, convey messages from the spirit world and cure illnesses.

The Marka would perform ceremonies devoted to fishing and farming, and their stylized masks would be danced to invoke the spirits to grant the community with abundant agricultural yields and a successful fishing season...

History of the Marka Masks of Mali

The Fagalde Collection of West African Tribal Art: African Rock Art - January 2017

Rock paintings and engravings are Africa’s oldest continuously practiced art form.

Depictions of elegant human figures, richly hued animals, and figures combining human and animal features - called therianthropes and associated with shamanism - continue to inspire admiration for their sophistication, energy, and direct, powerful forms...
http://tribart.blogspot.fr/2017_01_01_archive.html#7320084579284487210