African masks serve to connect the living world to the supernatural world of the dead and spirits for many African societies. Masks identify specific meanings for communities rather than provide portraits, as sculptors aim to depict a person's psychological and moral characteristics. African masks vary in appearance between communities to represent different meanings.

1. African Mask Images

2. African masks
 Many African societies see
masks as a way to connect
the living world and the
supernatural world of the
dead, ancestors, and other
spirits.
 In producing a mask, a
sculptor strives to show a
person’s psychological and
moral characteristics, rather
than provide a portrait.
 African masks vary in
appearance because they
identify specific meanings
for different communities.

3. Note the similarities and differences between
the various styles of African masks: