African Arts Gallery

Mask of shoulders Mumuye Sukwava (N° 11336)

Ex private German collection of African art.

This mask mumuye sukwava said " shoulders ", miniMaliste, is surmounted by a small head own statues iagalagana mumuye: a long neck and big ears drooping surmounted by a summit point, such a helmet. The reduced face which decorates the room has a very stylized facies with severe expression and is decorated with scarifications starting from the commissures of the mouth. Time-damaged wood: drying slots, strong erosion of the lower base. Velvety matte patina. Formerly intended for war rituals, these masks are now used for the invocation of rain and are on the other hand prestigious items. The Mumuye, in small family groups, are in a lowland area on the banks of the Bénué River in Nigeria. Shoulder masks are not exclusive to Mumuyé but are also worn by ethnic groups like the Jukun and Wajades, historically and geographically close.