Little is known about Makonde culture.
They believed in ancestral spirits and practiced initiation rites, specifically in northern Mozambique and southern Tanzania, they wore these masks / helmets for initiation ceremonies, called "Lipiko" for boys and girls.
 
The naturalism of these masks is often accentuated by the addition of real human hair attached to the top of the head with beeswax and raised marks on cheeks and forehead, which represent the ritual scarifications typical of the Makonde culture.