Traditional African masks or Metal Masks play the most crucial role in traditional Ceremonies and rituals in Africa. Traditional metal masks are used in Africa to address various purposes, including ensuring a good harvest, addressing tribal needs during peace or war, or conveying spiritual presence in initiation rituals or burial ceremonies.
The Traditional African Metal Masks were also used as a brutal tool to control enslaved Africans. The Brutal Tool Used to Control Enslaved Africans. During slavery, metal masks were a standard tool used by enslavers to control Enslaved Africans. These masks were designed to restrict the physical movements and communication of Enslaved Africans.
These Traditional masks were designed to restrict the physical movements and communication of Enslaved Africans. Also, there are some significant reasons why traditional metal masks were used in South Africa.
Firstly, the masks were used to prevent Enslaved Africans from eating fruits such as apples, pineapples, oranges, cashews, bananas, plantains, and sugarcane while working on plantation farms. Enslaved Africans were often made to work long hours without any breaks, and the masks were used to ensure they did not take a break to eat any of the crops they were harvesting.
Secondly, the masks were used to stop Enslaved Africans from chanting their African spiritual songs. Enslavers knew that these songs had a powerful effect on Enslaved Africans and could even motivate them to rebel and fight back against their oppressors.
Lastly, the masks were used to prevent Enslaved Africans from teaching their local African dialects to their children. By doing so, enslavers destroyed the cultural heritage of Enslaved Africans and forced them to learn foreign languages.
Meanwhile, It is also important to note that in some cases, the enslavers would force an apple into the mouth of an Enslaved African before putting on the metal mask and padlocking it. This ensured that the Enslaved Africans could not talk or even move their jaw, adding an extra layer of control and humiliation.
The use of Traditional metal masks during slavery is a painful reminder of the inhumane treatment that Enslaved Africans endured. Today, these masks serve as a poignant reminder of the cruelty and brutality that occurred during the transatlantic slave trade.
