Very beautiful mask in wood (very light), kaolin and pigments, typical of the Galoa (Galwa) ethnic group of Gabon.

Height (of the mask alone): 31 cm, width: 20 cm, very light wood

The Galoa people

The Galoa (or Galwa) are established in Gabon, in the Lambaréné region, on the lower course of the Ogooué River, which has made them intermediaries (trade) between the populations living upstream of the river and those living on the ocean shore.

Galoa (or Galwa) masks

The most famous masks of the Galoa are those belonging to the Okukwé society. They are easily recognizable by their shape - flat and oval - and their decoration made of painted triangular patterns that oppose each other symmetrically on the forehead and chin, with half-closed eyes and a straight nose.

This style of painting has many similarities with the masks of their neighbors Adouma

The Galoa masks were worn on the occasion of important ceremonies such as the funeral of a chief or the birth of twins...

Thanks to the powers held by this mask, its owner, an initiate of the Okukwé society, could regulate the life of the villagers...

Variants of the name Galoa

Since the names are transcribed phonetically, there are several spellings of the name of the ethnic group: galwa, galua, galloa; we also sometimes find: omyene