Dance crest "tu ngünga" ·  Cameroon Grassfields, Bamum · ID: 3043285

Description

wood, brown patina, smiling mask face on plug-like base, wickerwork base, plant fibre cuff, min. dam., cracks, small missing parts, traces of abrasion, base.
Such headdresses wearing serpents are performed as male/female pairs on large festive occasions.
Serpents are frequent in the Grassfields repertoire, for they possess extraordinary qualities: they move forward without feet, shed their skins when they metamorphose into larger creatures, and threaten, for they are poisonous or suffocate their victims. They are believed to incarnate ancestors, and that leaders could change their shape and reappear in form of this reptiles. It is the ultimate royal animal, but in Bamum it took the form of a double-headed serpent associated with their kings ability to strike on two fronts at once. The motif is unique to the Bamum kingdom, and appears like a signature in many ancient works of art.

Comparing literature

Geary, Christraud, Bamum, Mailand 2011, p. 107, ill. 15

Publications

AHDRC: 0150576