Asante Ewe wood mask, 'Dead and Awake'
Funeral and mourning rites are very important to the Ashanti. This formidable mask, known as the Akuji mask, it personifies a much beloved king who has passed away. Akuji means "dead and awake" therefore, though the king is dead, he is alive in the hearts of the Ewe people. Asante carves the mask from sese wood and decorates it with ornate brass plates. The Ashanti have a complex religious system involving elaborate ceremonies, ancestor worship, the ntoro concept and ritual, witchcraft and sorcery, beliefs in many kinds of spirits, divination, shamans, and so forth. The greatest and most frequent religious ceremonies are those whose purpose is to recall the spirits of the departed rulers offer them food and drink, and ask their favor for the good of all the people. Historically, African masks were only to be worn by chosen or initiated people for special ceremonies related to such important events as war preparations, harvest, funerals, or hunting. Masks are believed to embody the spirit of an ancestor, and symbolize a message of wisdom, prosperity, security, and power. Carvers undergo many years of specialized apprenticeship until achieving mastery of the art. This is important to Novica master carvers, who proudly mention it in their biographies, for it means they have earned the honor to replicate ancestral masks, as well as to create original designs.