Masque zoomorphe "misikun" · Mali, Minianka · ID: 3053469
Galerie von Miller, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Description
wood, pigments, resin-like mass, rest.
This rare “misikun” mask from the Minianka people of Mali combines ritual significance with a powerful, abstract formal language. The horns, which curve almost into a circle, symbolise perfection and allude to spiritual conceptions of the divine principle of creation, which are rooted in both Bamana traditions and interpretations influenced by Islam.
In a ceremonial context, the mask was part of a portable puppet figure that appeared during initiation and festival performances. As a representation of a “misiba” (dairy cow), it embodied generosity, prosperity and the central importance of livestock to community life and agriculture.
Littérature comparée
van Dyke, Kristina, African Art from the Menil Collection, Houston 2008, p. 62 f.