Helmet mask
date: label: Accession Date
content: 13 Jan 2010
name: label: Collector
content: Judith Knight
label: Donor Name
content: Judith Knight
notes: label: Notes
content: Helmet carved from a section of log, painted with brown spots. One raised area in the shape of a butterfly painted brown on the front. Judith Knight notes: "Male circumcision mask. Helmet mask worn with raffia body costume. Butterfly motif on the face of the mask is the same motif that is painted on boy initiates' faces when they are going through the circumcision rite. The "dots" motif is also common [as a body paint motif] in a number of ceremonial contexts; said to represent and thus channel the protective powers of the panther. This is a Mahongwe rite but the Bakoya also participate as the exclusive keepers of the secret knowledge that the Mahongwe depend upon for this rite to take place".
label: Record Last Modified
content: 20 Nov 2017
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Imbong village, Mekambo, Ogooué-Ivindo province, Gabon, Africa
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: (Mahongwe)
label: Culture
content: Hongwe
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 2050990
label: USNM Number
content: E434685-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Mask
physicalDescription: label: Circumference
content: 91 cm
label: Height
content: 47 cm