NOTES
The "lipiko" is a carved wooden mask representing a human face. Made of soft, lightweight wood, it is most frequently helmet-like in form and fits over the upper half of the wearer’s head, covering his ears, eyes, and nose, so that he looks out through the mask’s mouth. The term "lipiko (pl. mapiko)" refers to both the mask and the masked dancer among the Makonde, who perform in complex masquerades representing a range of characters. "Mapiko" may depict any human or animal subject, but historically the most common are Makonde men and women, recognizable by their ethnically distinct facial ornamentation such as tattoos, lip plugs, and chipped teeth. The tattoos are rendered in appliquéd strips of blackened wax on the mask, and hairstyles are created with actual human hair.
