Acali masks are small and have relatively big eyes, making them popular with young boys who have just been initiated. Often they appear at the end of a Njenje parade and may dress as a male scholar, student, or Muslim.
Wood with raffia backing
8 x 4 1/2 x 4in. (20.3 x 11.4 x 10.2cm)
Gift of Simon Ottenberg, in honor of the 75th Anniversary of the Seattle Art Museum
2005.57
Photo by Beth Mann
Now on view at the
Seattle Art Museum
Seattle Art Museum respectfully acknowledges that we are on Indigenous land, the traditional territories of the Coast Salish people. We honor our ongoing connection to these communities past, present, and future.