Headdress "dagu" for the "niyuo" dance ·  Côte d'Ivoire, Senufo · ID: 3032981

Description

wood, partly encrusted brown patina, remains of paint, helmet-shaped headdress with bow-shaped horns, partly stud with metal sheet, drilled holes around the rim, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion;
young men wear the costume of “zeu” in combination with the “dagu” headdress for the “niyuo” masquerade. The horns symbolize cattle, which makes sense, because the young men who have passed “zeu” were looked upon as “nescient” and therefore “scary oxes”. The “niyuo” masquerade prepares the boys for the actual initiation cycle in the “poro” society, which will last for seven years.

Comparing literature

Förster, Till, Die Kunst der Senufo aus Schweizer Sammlungen, Zürich 1988, p. 16 f.