My Happy Halloween African Death Mask?

Hey guys, with Halloween roll'n up on us. I thought it might be fun
to post a pic of my AFRICAN DEATH MASK! This particular item I
acquired from a guy who dug it up in the backyard of a house in
Fontana Ca. The reason the dig was made was to fix a broken
sewage line. The house as I understand it, is rumored to have
had some kind of ritualistic history behind it, supposedly back
in the fifties. Hopefully the high intelligence here at my favorite
all time site on the web can interject something more than what
I know. It was dug up eight yrs ago a long with some other oddities
of which i know nothing about. It was buried in a box made out of
pine and is made from a single piece of tree wood looks to be maple.
But I'm guessing. So with out further a do here it is.



And happy Halloween everybody!

That mask looks high. In a good way.

a reply to: thirdcoast

At least some one chimed in. In a funny way.
But yeah, now that you mention it.

a reply to: randyvs

I don't know much about them, but from what I have seen of you around here I would think you have looked into it quite a bit since obtaining one. I know I would have.

So what have you found out so far?

a reply to: randyvs

Yeah, one of those stories about someone digging something amazing up... cool man. I got a little hand made piece that is very similar but different colors. From Belize. (not from someone's backyard ha...thats cool)

a reply to: caterpillage

It seems to fall in the category of an african death mask as I
say. And involves some sort of 'Trickster" or "Laughing" demon.
So trick or treat.
And you're right, I spent quite a bit of time just finding that much
on google. Had to start from scratch just looking at masks. But it
also resembles a demon mentioned on Ancient Aliens as I remember.
Can't remember the name tho. Prolly a pain in the ass to find.
I'm suprized no one has come up with anything?

a reply to: randyvs

What kind of wood is it made of? That could show locale it was made. Burying things is sometimes an indicator that it was "problematic" in some way.

Sometimes cursed or hexed things are buried instead of destroyed because destroying it by chopping it up or burning it might release whatever spirit it contains.

Burying it removes it from the human world and keeps the spirit trapped within it.

You are going to tell me that you hang it on the wall and have worn it even?

Awesome! Just for shiggles, I'd be interested to see the back of it if you have a pic ready. Other than that, i guess i dont have much to add, except that it would also be interesting to try to research the past residents of that house and maybe try to contact any living relatives. They might be the best source for any info on this. I'm sure some ats members might know something but perhaps they just have not seen this thread yet. You said there were other items buried with it. Knowing what those were could also be important information to someone who knows about this kind of stuff.

a reply to: 3n19m470

Kantzveldt! Hanslune?????????????????

Can we get a 'top of head' picture? Looks to be some sort of map on the top of it's head.

Without an examination of the object, I can't say much beyond this; that motif is found almost universally where cultural remains are present. It is represented in stone, wood, ceramics, metals and all sorts of other media. To some cultures it was a death mask, to some it was to drive away mischief, some have even suggested that it could be a sports logo.
It's a great find with a great story to enjoy. Taking it to a few professionals who know what they're handling might get you a bit more info. Checking for tool marks on the back might be a way to check the method of manufacture. Enjoy! It's a great Halloween decoration. I have something similar from Mexico, done in straw, that comes out every Halloween.

a reply to: randyvs

randy man, i would not let that thing stay in my house. sure, its got a friendly little smile to it. but, that thing just gives me the he-bee-gee-bees. who knows what kind of energy good or bad it's picked up if it were really used ritualistically.

i mean there probably was a reason why it was buried in the first place. i could see someone going on a trip to africa acquiring one of those things as a present, giving it to someone, they start having things go all ghosty in their house and they bury it in the backyard.

reminds me of a family i heard of who were digging in their backyard and they found a plague doctor mask. after it was discovered they starting seeing a plague doctor apparition who would poke them with a pointed stick and theyd see him walking back and forth in their shed in their backyard.

after they investigated the family found out there was an actual small plague hospital or whatever in their backyard. i think they buried the mask where it was found and everything ceased.

a reply to: randyvs

oh c'mon randy what a tease. you should know we need more pics. I'd like to see the inside.
what kind of wood? toolmarks?

and I bet you got that creepy thing hanging on your wall don't you?

great story nonetheless.

and do they even have maple trees in either africa or california? doesn't look like maple we have around here...

originally posted by: horseplay
a reply to: randyvs

oh c'mon randy what a tease. you should know we need more pics. I'd like to see the inside.
what kind of wood? toolmarks?

and I bet you got that creepy thing hanging on your wall don't you?

great story nonetheless.

and do they even have maple trees in either africa or california? doesn't look like maple we have around here...

Okay, okay I didn't mean to be a tease. I just had to see if anyone was
even interested. I'll get the requested pics up real soon.
In fact the wife's right on top of it and here they are.







She absolutely hates my mask. But maple was a total guess.

a reply to: CallmeRaskolnikov

I agree that it is really creepy, but whatever power this
could have? Is negated in my house and it has been
completely impotent. I have state of the art protection
that may cause thread drift to mention. Sadly.

And that was a tasty Halloween morsal you shared Callme.

a reply to: diggindirt


So glad to have your awesome help dd.

That would be so cool to have it examined!

Any direction on that?

a reply to: randyvs
If you are near a university you might begin with their art gallery. They can probably point to someone who will be able to either tell you something or send you to the anthropology department. Do you have any friends who do woodworking? They might have some insights on the manufacture, the species of wood, etc. Antiquities dealers are another possibility.
I'm going with the logo for a prehistoric ball team.

a reply to: diggindirt
Cool diggin,
I'm gonna do that college art thingy, right here
in Victor Valley and report the findings to this
thread as soon as I hear something.
Should be fun even at a reasonabe rate.
The wife is dealing with her friends wedding
recently and will run over there for me next
week sometime so as Slayer 69 likes to say.

STAY TUNED.

a reply to: randyvs

Hi Randy, just popped back in here to see if you ever got this thing checked out?
just curious....

Randy, could you describe the other contents found with the mask, pics? That might help add some answers to this puzzle. What about previous property owners? I love a good mystery.

originally posted by: horseplay
a reply to: randyvs

Hi Randy, just popped back in here to see if you ever got this thing checked out?
just curious....

Sweets, all I can say is, it the holidays!!!!
I'm swamped. But thank you for reminding me and check back after the first
week in Jan?