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Helmet Mask
possibly early to mid-1900s
- Medium
- Wood and organic materials
- Classification
- Mask
- Dimensions
- Overall: 36 cm (14 3/16 in.)
- Culture
- Africa, West Africa, Mali, Bamana-style blacksmith-carver
- Museum
- Cleveland Museum of Art, African Art
- Credit line
- Severance and Greta Millikin Purchase Fund
- Rights
- Public domain (CC0), as the museum states it.
- Who can see it
- Teens profiles and older: its museum says too little about what it shows to place it for younger viewers. How works are placed
View at the Cleveland Museum of Art
About this work
Belonging to the Kono association, one of the Bamana people’s most powerful men’s groups, this mask’s shape seems to evoke the hyena, an animal reputed for its intelligence and its knowledge of the bush. The Kono’s main task is to offer its members protection against witchcraft. It is also responsible for fostering fertility, solving conflicts, disciplining troublemakers, and sentencing criminals. Masquerades are among the Kono’s most public expressions; the mask’s performance is characterized by energy and vigor.
