African Guro masks

The Guro people are from the Ivory Coast ( Now called Cote d' Ivore) but do trace their lineage to 13th-14th Century Mali.   

 

The Guro people were originally called "Kweni", but  were given the Baule name Guro by the invading French colonisers.

These Masks are also known as "Mblo", belonging to societies with socio-political tasks in the village. They are also an expression of a mythological world view; the wind god "Gu" turns the world by his breath, while the ram is a spiritual creature linked with the sky.

Their artistic output is dominated by masks carved with elongated faces, concave profiles and slanted eyes. They have a few regional styles of Masks,each one though colorful has distinct characters and a unique way of incorporating human and animal forms in some of their unique masks.

 

The Guro masks are amongst the most elegant masks from West Africa.