Ape mask "ngon" ·  Mali, Bamana · ID: 3037584

Description

light brown wood, dark brown patina, pierced sickle-shaped eyes, small ears situated on the forehead, provided with small metal rings, pierced around the rim, rep. (breakage at the back of the head), cracks, traces of abrasion;
the “ngon” mask represents the Guinea baboon (Papio papio) and appears during “sogobo” masquerades, “tjiwara” performances and “korè” initiations. In Bamana thought, monkeys are generally associated with young boys and with the passage of boys to men through initiation.

Comparing literature

Colleyn, Jean Paul (Hg.), Bamana, Zürich 2001, p. 106