"Grebo"
means "leaping monkey people," a reference to their flight from a
former homeland near the Sahara. Their major economic activity is producing palm oil and palm
kernels for export. The culture of the Grebo, a little-known ethnic group
inhabiting the coastal region of eastern Liberia and the bordering forestlands,
was shaped in a considerable degree by their neighbors to the north, the Kran
and Dan. Unlike the other people living in Liberia, the Grebo are not
structured by the Poro society. They are ruled by a chief known as bodio
who lives in near total isolation and also assumed the function of grand
priest. The Grebo sculpt several types of masks. One type is characterized by a
massive face surmounted by two buffalo horns. The second type of masks
represents the female ideal with slit eyes and sweetness of expression. The
third type are male war masks, more abstract and flat, formed by a board with
elongated nose and one or more pairs of tubular eyes. The masks appeared during
rituals reserved for initiates and at the time of festive occasions, when the
whole population was able to see them. The war masks designed primarily to
terrify appeared during battles, in the dances beforehand, and at the funerals
of warriors. Figures are rare. Their
style is closely related to Dan, We and other neighboring tribes.
Measures: 10 1/2" by 5 1/2", from custom cast iron base 117 1/2". Cast iron base made specifically for this mask.
Materials: wood, authentic teeth
Weight: 7 lbs