Kore Society Mask - Bambara - Mali

Price: $895.00


 


The Kore is the last of the six initiation societies. These societies are run by a few elders and act in political, economic, and medical capacities. In addition, they exercise social control over the community. Initiation for men lasts for seven years and ends with a symbolic death and rebirth to teach them that bodily death does not mean suffering and finality, rather it means union with God.

The Kore teaches self knowledge and the doctrine that they undergo endless reincarnations. Without the help of the Kore, every time he returns to Earth, God removes from the reincarnated person a portion of his spiritual nature and keeps it in Heaven. Therefore, if uninitiated, after a certain number of reincarnations, the diety will become completely reabsorbed. To avoid this, the Kore society seeks to achieve the assimilation with God to ensure countless reincarnations. This entails enduring the intensive training period into one of the eight classes of the Kore.

This is a Kore Duga mask, and represents the spiritual joys and pleasures experienced by those who reach the stage of union witn God.

18"H x 6"W x 5"D