Mask
date: label: Accession Date
content: 15 Apr 1991
label: Collection Date
content: 1960's
name: label: Collector
content: Philip Abrams
label: Donor Name
content: Philip Abrams
notes: label: Notes
content: HELMET MASK MADE FROM SINGLE PIECE OF BLACK POLISHED WOOD. HUMAN FACE ALMOST COMPLETELY TAKEN UP BY HIGH FOREHEAD. SMALL NOSE, DOWNCAST EYES, POINTED CHIN. SMALL EARS HIGH UP ON HEAD. THREE RINGS AROUND NECK. ELABORATE COIFFURE, TWO ROWS OF GEOMETRIC DESIGNS ON TOP OF WHICH IS HEADPIECE IN FOUR PARTS WITH GEOMETRIC DESIGNS, OPEN IN MIDDLE, TOPPING THIS IS SECTION WITH VARIOUS ROUNDED KNOBS. CHRISTINE KREAMER, RESEARCH ASSISTANT, COMMENTS: HELMET MASKS OF THIS TYPE ARE THE ONLY EXAMPLE OF WOODEN MASKS WORN BY WOMEN IN WEST AFRICA. THEY APPEAR IN MANY CONTEXTS, MOST NOTABLY IN INITIATIONS TO THE WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION. THE MASKS EPITOMIZE IDEAL FEMININE BEAUTY, AND ARE ASSOCIATED WITH A WATER SPIRIT. THE RINGS CARVED AROUND THE NECK SIGNIFY RIPPLES ON THE WATER. PROJECTIONS FROM TOP OF HEAD RECALL PROVERBS THAT REFLECT ASPECTS OF SOCIAL ORGANIZATION, MYTH AND SPIRITUAL BELIEFS. THE COLLECTOR IDENTIFIES IT AS A BUNDU MASK.
label: Record Last Modified
content: 29 Jun 2020
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: West, Africa
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Gola
setName: label: See more items in
content: Anthropology
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: NMNH - Anthropology Dept.
identifier: label: Accession Number
content: 370726
label: USNM Number
content: E425141-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Mask
physicalDescription: label: Length - Object
content: 41 cm
label: Width - Object
content: 18.5 cm