Upper part of a ceremonial headdress "kwonro"
Description
wood, encrusted brown patina, board-shaped crest with the stylized silhouette of a human being in openwork design in the centre, wickerwork crest missing, min. dam., fissures, traces of abrasion;
the “kwonro” ceremonial headdress is a type which was worn by Nafana initiates, who were lavishly decorated with white cowrie shell ornaments, in a public dance that celebrates to the community the completion of “kwonro” and the second grade of “poro”. The flat openwork board would originally have been covered with ritual white paint in the checkerboard patterns. The openwork figure or ideogram in the centre is one of the most common images in Senufo graphic arts, that of the “ndeo” or nature spirit. These crests are rare, only few of them are preserved.