Cimier / Masque casque "vakono"
Description
wood, red pigment, base
According to Strybol, this type of mask is called “vakono”. “Vakono” is said to have been used to protect the crops by driving the monkeys away from the cultivated fields. “Kono” means monkey in Mumuye. Berns already referred to this type of mask as a monkey mask (Berns, 2011, p. 326, 10.20.). Strybol further reports that “vakono” often played the role of the buffoon in the ritual dances.
According to other sources (Sieber and Ververs), “vakono” is supposed to be female and to represent the partner / consort of the buffalo mask “vabo(n). “Vabo(n)” appears in ceremonies of the “vabong” society in the dry season as well as in ceremonies of the “vadosong” society in the rainy season and thus plays a central role in the ritual life of the Mumuye.