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Congolese wood mask, 'Bajokwe Soothsayer'

Product ID: U72558

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Congolese wood mask, 'Bajokwe Soothsayer'

5.0 (artist rating)

Delivery Estimate

This item is available for pre-order and will ship within 2 to 8 weeks. Learn More

Available in 2 to 8 weeks. Learn More

Details

Carved by hand, this handsome mask depicts a soothsayer from the Bajokwe tribe of Congo, formerly Zaire. Sinclair Yao Daley gives it a smooth finish with rich brown color from natural cola nut dye. "This mask is used to predict the people's future and foretell the outcome of situations in their lives," the artisan explains.

Made in Ghana

  • Sese wood
  • Intended as wall decor
  • Features a rustic, rugged finish
  • Hand-crafted item -- color, size and/or motif may vary slightly
  • Free Gift Wrap? No
  • Premium Gift Wrap? No
  • 0.42 kgs
  • 0.9 lbs
  • 43 cm H x 16 cm W x 8 cm D
  • 17" H x 6.25" W x 3.1" D
View in metric units View in US/English units

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Sinclair Yao Daley

Meet the Artist

Artfully crafted by Sinclair Yao Daley from West Africa.

 

Meet the Artist

Sinclair Yao Daley

Sinclair Yao Daley

5.0 (artist rating)

"My hope and plans for the future include establishing a workshop in my hometown and starting a tree farm and fish farm to help the youth there have a source of income."

"I am a woodcarver who is friendly and at the same time shy. I am a firm person and stick to my words. "I was born on... "I am a woodcarver who is friendly and at the same time shy. I am a firm person and stick to my words.

"I was born on May 20, 1948 in Kpando-Fesi in the Volta Region of Ghana. As I was growing up in my hometown, I used to carve when I was in school, but little did I know that I would one day become a woodcarver.

"I came to Accra to meet my dad, who was an ex-service man, because he wasn't staying with us. While I was living with him, I worked as a gardener to make some money. I kept complaining that I wasn't earning much.

"At the time, my father was into carving and had been asking to me to join him in his workshop, but I wasn't interested. I once visited him at work and he asked me to help with some masks he was carving. To his surprise, I finished earlier than his apprentice and did a good job. My dad sold the masks and gave me a commission, and I realized this was more than I earned as a gardener.

"That convinced me. I quit my job as a gardener and started assisting my father in his workshop. Eventually, I went to Mr. Winfred Ezi to learn how to carve other items and also to improve on my skills. Learning from the beginning wasn't easy for me. I had to observe my master as he carved and identify how he handled his tools carefully when carving to master my craft.

"When I started working on my own, it was not an easy task because all I had were the raw materials. I had to produce and sell in order to have money to live on.

"Papa Billy, who was from Nigeria, was my first customer. He purchased a lot my designs and his praise for my work encouraged me.

"My family members who work with me are organized well in such a way that the beginners start with woodcutting and others are involved with shaping the wood into images. Some also drill through the images and some women do the painting.

"The materials I use are wood, stones, clay, dye, jute, cola nuts, soot and dust. I usually buy some of these from the market and prepare the others on my own. Currently, I am training eleven apprentices.

"I look out for accuracy and good imagination and creativity in my designs. I get my inspiration from my environment and the people around me. Also people who purchase my masks usually inspire me, and their satisfaction is a source of joy.

"My hope and plans for the future include establishing a workshop in my hometown and starting a tree farm and a fish farm to help the youth there have a source of income. My woodcarving workshop has created a source of employment for the young people in my community and they pick up the remaining scraps for firewood. Others use the bark of the trees as medicine."

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Return instructions

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This item is available for backorder and will ship within 2 to 8 weeks. Artists love to get backorders. Placing a backorder ensures that the artisan will do their best to create and deliver your item to our local office for shipment.

Although we cannot guarantee availability, we do expect to be able to fill the order within the timeframe indicated. But sometimes life happens - special materials may not be immediately available to the artist, or there might be some other circumstance beyond our control that could delay the shipment.

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WOMEN S M L XL XXL
4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
BUST 35 - 36 37 - 38 39 - 41 42 - 44 46 - 48
WAIST 27 - 28 29 - 30 31 - 33 34 - 36 38 - 40
HIPS 37 - 38 39 - 40 42 - 43 45 - 46 49 - 50
MEN S M L XL XXL
CHEST 36 - 38 39 - 41 42 - 44 46 - 48 50 - 52
WAIST 30 - 32 32 - 34 35 - 37 38 - 41 43 - 45
NECK 14 - 14.5 15 - 15.5 16 - 16.5 17 - 17.5 18 - 18.5
SLEEVE 32.5 33.5 34.5 35.5 36.5
FINDING YOUR SIZE

Take your measurements with the tape measure over your under garments. If your measurements fall between sizes you may prefer the next larger size. Inseam, skirt and dress lengths vary by style and will be listed in the item description. Our sweaters are knit in standard American sizes, however actual measurements vary by style.

BUST / CHEST

Measure around the fullest part of chest under the arms and over the shoulder blades keeping the tape measure level.

WAIST

Measure around the smallest part of the waist keeping the tape measure comfortably loose. Most garments use the low waist measurement noted below.

LOW WAIST

Measure around the body approximately 1.5" below the natural waist (above). This is the area where most pants and skirts actually fit.

HIPS

Standing with your heels together, measure around the fullest part of the body approx 7"-8" below the waist.

NECK

Measure around the base of the neck keeping the tape measure comfortably loose.

SLEEVE

Bend elbow slightly and starting at the center back of the neck, measure across the shoulder, to the elbow and down to the wrist.

INSEAM

Our standard inseam length for women is 32" and 34" for men; however inseam measurements will vary slightly by style.

 

Belts with buckles are measured in inches that correspond to a waist size however, most people do not wear belts on the waist, they wear them closer to the hips. A buckle belt measurement is take from the end of the "pin" of the buckle to the middle hole on the belt. Generally there are 5 holes for size adjustment, with a 1" space between each, so the middle hole will the be average size of the belt.

For at tie belt (no buckle) measure the belt portion end to end and half of the tie portion. This again is the medium size of the belt.

For a soft fabric tie belt it can be called "1 size fits most" and the entire length of the belt should be measured and listed.

See buckle/tie belt size standards below.

WOMEN S M L XL  
4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
inches 26 - 30 28 - 32 31 - 35 34 - 38 38 - 42
cm 76 - 86 81.5 - 91.5 86.5 - 96.5 91.5 - 101.5 96.5 - 106.5

+/- tolerance: 0.5 inches or 1.25 cm

MEN S M L XL XXL
inches 30 - 34 32 - 36 35 - 39 39 - 43 43 - 47
cm 81.5 - 91.5 86.5 - 96.5 91.5 - 101.5 96.5 - 106.5 109 - 119

+/- tolerance: 0.5 inches or 1.25 cm

Sash tie length

Lay sash/tie out flat away from the garment and measure from end to end.

Belt with buckle

Measure from the end of the pin of the buckle (where it touches the buckle) to the middle hole.

Belt without buckle

Measure from the belt portion end to end and half of the tie portion. This is will give you the medium size of the belt.

Download our printable ring sizing chart to find the perfect fit!

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