African Arts Gallery

French collection of tribal art.< br>This sculpture is an African mask associated with the naja snake with dilated pupils. Old piece, matte patina abraded and cracks from desiccation. African serpentine initiatory mask used mainly by the Bulongic (village of Kifinda), Baga subgroup of the Guinean coast, its size can reach up to 2.50 m. These masks were divided into two groups called Mosolo kombo and Sangaran, each with specific functions. Their design took shape in an esoteric context, at night in the heart of the forest. Privileges of initiated men, embodying a spiritual entity, the Baga Sangaran masks only attended circumcision, every 24 years according to ethnologist Denise Paulme. During some dances the mask was placed on the head, held in balance by a bamboo structure and by the arms of the wearer himself covered with a cloth and a raffia loincloth. Among the Baga Koba, the mask was worn on the shoulder, without costume. In other groups, the mask appeared in different contexts.
source: Baga , David Berliner.