Marabout Healer--Painting of an African Mask-

Mandinka People--probably Ivory Coast

 A Marabout is an Islamic priest specialized in healing arts.  The Mandinka or Malinke^[ are a West African ethnic group primarily found in southern Mali, eastern Guinea and northern Ivory Coast. Numbering about 32 million,they are the largest subgroup of the Mandé peoples and one of the largest ethnic groups in Africa. They speak the Mandinka language, which is one of the Western Manding languages in the Mande language family and the lingua franca in much of West Africa. Over 99% of Mandinka adhere to Islam. They are predominantly subsistence farmers and live in rural villages. Their largest urban center is Bamako, the capital of Mali, which is also inhabited by the closely related Bambara.

One in a series of eleven paintings inspired by tribal African Masks in use during the 19th century.