Mask of the night society "troh"

Cameroon Grassfields, Bamileke/Bangwa

sold EUR 2,800

Provenance

Karl-Ferdinand Schädler, Munich, Germany
Sotheby’s, New York, 25 May 1999, lot 75

Size

H: 30 cm

H: 11.8 inch

Description

wood, slightly shiny dark brown patina, round bulging cheeks, open mouth with pointed teeth, pierced eyes with raised rim, enclosed by semicircular ears, min. dam., cracks, small missing parts, slight traces of abrasion;
according to Lintig the “troh” secret society is an inviolable institution, a kind of police society whose members are the kingmakers: only they are told the name of the successor to the chief, and during often turbulent interregnum they are responsible for keeping law and order.
On the other hand it is believed that this secret society has a direct relationship with the supernatural. The night masks are important magic instruments. Because of their dangerous potential their owners carry them on their shoulders and not on their heads. Many Bangwa believe that their chief and certain members of the secret society are capable of travelling across the night sky in form of their totem animal or appear in form of a thunderstorm and other natural phenomena.