Face mask "tu bodu" from the "je" group ·  Côte d'Ivoire, Guro · ID: 3041423

Description

wood, softly luminous black patina, red, white and indigo blue pigment, crowned by prominent horns and long ears, coiffure with curved hairline and incised decor, jagged beard, pierced eyes, slightly dam. (nose tip, beard, ears), minor missing parts (rim), cracks;
“tu bodu” (the bush cow) participates in the task of purifying the village after a death and thereby reestablishes social order. But is also serves to accompany the spirit of the deceased to its final dwelling - the “iremofla”, or resting place of the souls - through incantations and dance, and to transform the deceased through rituals into an ancestor capable of protecting his descendants.

Littérature comparée

Barbier, Jean Paul (ed.), Art of Côte d' Ivoire, Vol II, Genève 1993, p. 106