Hyaena mask "suruku koun" of the "korè" society
Mali, Bamana
sold
EUR 2,100
Provenance
Wolfgang Ketterer, Munich, 8 November 1980, Lot 5Dieter Fichtner, Munich, Germany
Neumeister, Munich, 16 November 2006, Lot 17
Dr. Karl-Ferdinand Schädler, Munich, Germany
Neumeister, Munich, 15 October 2009, Teil 2, Lot 1184
German Private Collection
Size
H: 46,5 cm
H: 18.3 inch
Description
wood, pigments, inventory number “KS 2.104”, missing part, base
“Suruku koun” belongs to the sixth and highest level of initiation, the “korè” society. In order to be accepted into the “korè”, the young men must pass tests. In addition to tests of courage, these include the symbolic death of the initiant and his rebirth, as well as the acquisition of secret knowledge about rites and traditions of the tribe.
Publications
Schädler, Karl-Ferdinand, Encyclopedia of African Art and Culture, Munich 2009, p. 338AHDRC: 0079987