Zoomorphic mask · Guinea, Toma · ID: 3043501
Zemanek-Münster, Würzburg, 12 May 2007, lot 121
Description
wood, dark encrusted patina, mirror glass, animal horns, cowrie snails, encrusted pieces of fabric, min. dam., traces of abrasion, cracks, small missing parts.
Only few figures of the Toma are known but there is a variety of masks which are used during the “poro” men’ s society ceremonies. They can be categorized into three main types, the male “landa”, the female “nyangbai”, and finally the “horned masks”.
The Loma, or Toma, live on both sides of the Liberia/Guinea border. In Liberia they are known as Loma, while in Guinea they are known as Toma. The two names are respectively English and French renderings of the same name but reflect differences in both European orthography and regional dialects.
Comparing literature
Carini, Vittorio, The Toma/Loma masks, Udine 2009, p. 19 f.
Publications
Carey, Neil, Masks of the Koranko Poro, Amherst 2007, p. 49, ill. 30AHDRC: 0076100