African Arts Gallery

Bidjogo mask (N° 22793)

Embellished with real animal horns, this naturalistic mask representing a bovine comes from the Bidjogo, established in the Bissagos archipelago made up of around thirty islands located off the coast of Guinea-Bissau.
The mask is worn before or at the end of initiation ceremonies, by a young "cabaro" initiate, who will bow and rear, conveying the idea of ​​a vigorous but still untamed young animal, and the need to go through the initiatory process in order to acquire discipline and mastery. This type of mask appears nowadays for entertainment parties and on the occasion of the passage of distinguished visitors. These masks, named vaca bruto in Portuguese Creole, were displayed on the prows of warlords' boats. It was indeed Portuguese sailors who introduced the animal to the archipelago in the 15th century. Other zoomorphic masks are produced, some related to aquatic fauna, and statues embodying divinities, with triangular faces, named iran which have an apotropaic function and are placed under cover in shrines.

Sources: "Animal masks of black Africa" ​​ed. Sepia; "African Masks" ed. Adam Biro