West African Voodoo Dancing Masks

Gelede Mask Dance
Female Spirit
The Big Mother
Spirit Realm
Sacred Tree
Spirits of the Dead
Soul Catchers
Egunun Mask Ceremony
Pope Mask
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Gelede Mask Dance
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Above, the Egungun mask known as the Pope Mask at a ceremony in Benin, West Africa. Considered the most powerful, the mask wanders through the crowd demanding offerings to allow them to continue to live in the "living" world.

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—Photograph and caption by Chris Rainier, copyright National Geographic Society
 

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