… Although they reflect a belief in the vital force associated with the spirits of the forest with which the mask, in the cultural context we are dealing with, allows one to communicate, these miniature masks differ from the larger ones in that they not used in any dance and are not possessed by the community but by the persons who keep them, usually jealously hidden in a pocket or in a cloth or raffia case, like private objects endowed with the power to protect the proprietor.
… In spite of their small size, in proportion to their specific uses, these micro masks can be very attractive in form, and duplicate the stylistic and technical characteristics in the assembling of the much larger masks used in the course of collective ceremonies.…
Aldo Tagliaferri