Ritual figure with helmet mask "wanjugo" ·  Côte d'Ivoire, Senufo · ID: 3045630

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Description

wood, base

Such masked figures were sometimes used for instructional purposes. It may also have had a protective function for the mask wearer and was kept in his home to hold the spirit of the large mask when it was in use.

The mask type “wanjugo” belongs to the “wabele” society which is responsible for tracking down and destroying witches and harmful spirits.

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Comparing literature

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Publications

Holas, Bohumil, Sculpture Senoufo, Abidjan 1969, planche 50; Holas, Bohumil, Cultures Matérielles de la Côte d`Ivoire, Paris 1960, planche 40 a

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