- 1). Use African mask pictures for reference to see what various masks can look like and how they are worn. This will help you compare the mask you are trying to identify with masks already confirmed as African in origin.
- 2). Identify the way a mask was worn. African masks have often been worn different ways to mark significant events, such as celebrations, initiations, wartime, harvest season and times of drought. They have been worn vertically covering the face, as helmets completely encompassing the head and the face, and as crests on the top of the head.
- 3). Look at the type of material the mask has been made from. African masks are generally made from various types of wood, with leather, fabric and metal to decorate them.
- 4). Take notice of the carvings and expressions the mask has been given. African masks have often been used to look like and represent spirits, ancestors, animals and deities believed to impact humanity in many African tribal traditions.
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