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: BLACK HIGHLY POLISHED HELMET MADE FROM SINGLE PIECE OF WOOD. HUMAN FACIAL FEATURES WITH POINTED CHIN, DOWNCAST EYES AND HIGH FOREHEAD. THREE RINGS RADIATE AROUND MASK FROM EAR TO EAR, REST OF MASK DOWNWARD (EXCEPT FOR LOWER FACE) IS SMOOTH. RED AND BLUE GLASS EARRINGS. ELABORATE COIFFURE RESEMBLING ROWS OF HIGH BRAIDS. INSIDE OF MASK STUFFED WITH RAFFIA FIBERS. CHRISTINE KREAMER, S I 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. THE BLACK COLORATION OF THE MASK AND THE RAFFIA FIBERS ATTATCHED TO THE BASE SYMBOLIZE FEMALE PRINCIPLES AND THE NOTION OF ACCULTURATION. PROJECTIONS FROM THE TOP OF THE 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: 28 Nov 2014
label: Specimen Count
content: 1
place: label: Place
content: Africa
topic: label: Topic
content: Ethnology
culture: label: Culture
content: Not Given
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: E425136-0
objectType: label: Object Type
content: Mask
physicalDescription: label: Length - Object
content: 36 cm
label: Width - Object
content: 20 cm