Since that time, smiths have acquired considerable skill in repairing and making these weapons. Hunters are the primary customers of the smith. They believe that the smith is able to put nyama into their firearms, thus ensuring them of protection and success in the wilderness. Bamana smiths also are woodcarvers. They create an array of ritual masks and sculptures, as well as more doorlocks.
Masks come in a variety of forms, but all represent incarnations of gods, ancestors or bush spirits.
For example, initiation societies need masks for their religious rituals. The forms these masks take range from abstract antelope designs to more naturalistic hyena heads. Powerful komo Society masks, worn only by blacksmiths, are virtually formless aggregates of mud, horn, and other animal parts over a simple wooden or fiber frame. The creation of masks is a ritual process, and only a smith has sufficient knowledge and supernatural power to complete the task successfully. Throughout the carving process he must observe strict taboos and make regular sacrifices to the gods and spirits.