Wooden face masks, Bongase, 1967
DepositedTwo carved wooden masks which are worn during masquerade dances celebrating special occasions among Muslim Ligbi communities in the Banda area are displayed. The masks pictured here were photographed in 1967 by René A. Bravmann, then a doctoral student at Indiana University studying African art history. The mask pictured left (10.5 inches in length) represents a sheep (saragigi in Ligbi). The one on the right (12.25 inches in length) is a bush cow (siginkuru-ayna in Ligbi). The masks are periodically renewed with pigments made from plants and earthen materials. This masking tradition is referred to by scholars as "Do" but is referred to in Bongase as "Bedu."For additional details, see Bravmann, René A. (1974) "Islam and Tribal Art in West Africa" (Cambridge University Press), pp. 147-177. Bongase, December, 1967.
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Creator
Subject
Publisher
Identifier
Keyword
Date created
Relation
- 8.238039, -2.276274
- Dr. René A. Bravmann
- Black-and-white negative
- 2019-09-20
- Negative scanned by Ann B. Stahl
- 1967
