Mask "banda" or "kumbaruba" · Guinea, Baga / Nalu · ID: 3045699
Description
wood, brass tags, polychrome painted, some breakages, rep., base
The character represented in this mask, “banda” (also called “kumbaruba” by some Baga groups), is a complex composite of human and animal forms (crocodile, antelope, chameleon, serpent).
Historical documentation suggests that it originally carried an extremely sacred significance. It seems that “banda” represented a high and powerful spiritual being that would appear only to privileged society elders.
“Banda” should keep away in the first line all evil. It has been used in almost every aspect of the Baga’s life, including the initiation of young men, fortune-telling rituals, weddings, planting and harvesting.
The object Mask “banda” or “kumbaruba” with the object ID 3045699 was last part of the auction 92nd Tribal Art Auction at June 29, 2019 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house and had the lot number 117.
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Expertise
Certificate of Authenticity, Philippe Ratton, Paris, 24 November 2017
Comparing literature
Lamp, Frederick, Art of the Baga, New York, 1996, p. 150, ill. 133