Sold as is, as the tips of both horns have been broken off.
Over 450,000 Marka Soninke people live in
Mali. They carve masks with very long faces & pointed chins that
are often covered with appliques of thin brass with repousse designs.
The N'Tomo Society use this mask in two rituals, the circumcision
ceremony of adolescents, the second when initiated adult men ad-
vance from one grade to another. The mask represents a beautiful
woman, & when danced mimicks the gestures of a young woman.
Now
only danced once a year on the Islamic feast day. The mask is one
of the few items the Marka keep as a reminder of their animistic past.
Height: 18" x Width: 5 ¾"
