Mask "koma ba"

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Description

wood, partly encrusted brown patina (presumably sacrificial blood), metal sheet, massive beak-like projection, crowned by a pair of horns, pierced around the rim, rep. (metal clamps at the back), cracks, traces of abrasion;
the “koma” of the Mau is an initiation society that apears to be heir to societies of this type among the Bamana. “Koma ba”, a fierce detector of sorcery, sings and dances to attract evil spirits. Her male counterpart, the crude “koma su”, whose cries fill the night, destroys evil spirits by hunting them down in the bush, armed with a lance and a sword. Both masks are only allowed to be seen by the initates. They were kept in a sacred hut at the heart of the sacred enclosure and were objects of sacrifices.

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Comparing literature

Barbier, Jean Paul (ed.), Art of Côte d' Ivoire, Vol II, Genève 1993, p. 59, ill. 85

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