African Arts Gallery

In African art, the Marka, Maraka in Bamana, Warka, or Sarakolé, are Muslim city dwellers of Soninke origin, established in the south of Niger, scattered since the end of the Ghana empire in Mali, Mauritania and Senegal. They now speak Bamana and have adopted a large part of the Bambara traditions, such as the Ntomo and the Kore, initiation societies that used masks during their ceremonies. The sculptors of African art Bambara and Marka are part of the Numuw, who are not tied to an ethnic group and are free to settle wherever they wish.
The faces joined by their headdress form an arched helmet mask. The straight nose surmounts a narrow mouth that fits into a pointed chin. Hammered metal plates incised with decorative motifs, specific to marka sculptures, adorn the sculpture. Small erosions.