Object Details
- Label Text
- Although often referred to as Zigrien-Wonde, the young bride, this shoulder mask represents a married woman who has given birth to children. The mask combines Baga scarification with the crest hairstyle of the Fulbe (Fulani). When being danced the mask's costume is a cloth shoulder wrapper over a raffia skirt and sometimes jewelry. The mask is worn like a yoke on the dancer's shoulders, much as a living bride is carried to her husband's house.
- Found among the southern and northern Baga and neighboring peoples, this type of shoulder mask seems similar in subject and function to the larger D'mba shoulder mask of the central Baga, appearing at planting and harvest festivals, births, weddings and ceremonies to commemorate ancestors and to honor visitors.
- Description
- Wood shoulder mask composed of a head on a long neck on an oval support with breasts, eye holes and carved amulet necklace.
- Provenance
- Samuel Rubin, New York, before 1966 to 1979
- Content Statement
- As part of our commitment to accessibility and transparency, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art is placing its collection records online. Please note that some records are incomplete (missing image or content descriptions) and others reflect out-of-date language or systems of thought regarding how to engage with and discuss cultural heritage and the specifics of individual artworks. If you see content requiring immediate action, we will do our best to address it in a timely manner. Please email nmafacuratorial@si.edu if you have any questions.
- Image Requests
- High resolution digital images are not available for some objects. For publication quality photography and permissions, please contact the Eliot Elisofon Photographic Archives at https://africa.si.edu/research/eliot-elisofon-photographic-archives/
- Data Source
- National Museum of African Art
- Maker
- Baga artist
- Date
- Early 20th century
- Credit Line
- Bequest of Samuel Rubin
- Medium
- Wood
- Dimensions
- H x W x D: 85.1 x 17.8 x 20.3 cm (33 1/2 x 7 x 8 in.)
- Type
- Mask
