Body mask of "poro" society ·  Guinea, Koranko · ID: 3047309

Description

wood, fabric, mirror glass,
Neill Carey attributed these masks to the Koranko, a Mande-speaking people living in the mountainous region of the Guinea Highlands. These masks are used in their “poro” rituals. Like all “poro” masks they incarnate bush spirits, called “nyenne”.

This masks were affixed to the back of the masquerader in a vertical position and serve to visually distinguish between each grade in their “poro” hierarchy (boys, men and elders).

This mask shows an exquisite example of a Koranko body mask from the Men’s Poro. Two pairs of horns, the mirror glass in the eyes, and the fabric-covered medicine pouch on the forehead identify it as an extremely powerful mask.

Comparing literature

Carey, Neil, Masks of the Koranko Poro, Amherst 2007, p. 22, Fig. 4