Bamileke Elephant Mask, Cameroon

Cameroon warriors who render a great service to the Bamileke King are eligible to be member of the Aka, or 'Elephant Mask' society. They dance at the funeral of the King and at twice yearly meetings wearing dramatic hats and elaborately beaded elephant masks. These costumes belong to the King and display his wealth, power and privilege. The influx of tiny 'pound beads', so called because they were sold by the pound in a limitless range of colours and regular shapes lwere traded into Central Africa and enabled the development of new motifs of sculptural beadwork incorporating symbolic animal and plant designs.