Ceremonial Baule Leopard Secret Society Mask

This ceremonial mask from the Baule people of Côte d’Ivoire was used by the secretive Leopard Society. Found across West Africa, the Leopard Society influenced the political, spiritual, and social fabric of their communities. Colonial European accounts of the Leopard Society often exaggerated and demonized the all-male warriors as cannibals, though most accounts describe them as fierce anti-colonial fighters.

Early 20th Century