A Bamana Mask, "suruku" Lot n° 5

Hyena mask, "suruku Bamana, Mali Ohne Sockel / without base wood. H 28 cm. Provenance: - According to H. and M. Zimmer: Galerie Arno Henseler, Munich (1970s). - Helmut (1931-2021) and Marianne Zimmer, Zurich. - Hammer Auctions, Basel (29.09.2022, lot 6). - Swiss private collection, Geneva. Taking into account local differences and being aware of changes over time, the traditional socio-religious order of Bamana society can be divided into successive secret societies (jow), in which members gained access to tribal rules and knowledge through initiation according to their age or maturity. Each of these covenants knew its own clearly differentiated mask system. Ntomo An elementary school-like seven-year cycle for girls and boys from about age seven, divided into classes (lions, toads, birds, guinea fowls, and dogs). Ntomo masks appeared in the dry season during the initiates' wanderings from village to village and had as a common feature the vertical structure over an anthropomorphic face, the number of horns of which indicated the gender of the mask. The relatively inconspicuous mouth indicates the most important teaching of Ntomo, the control of the word and the value of silence. Korè Korè was the continuation of Ntomo and marked the transition from adolescence to adulthood. The novices, who were about 14-21 years old, underwent ritual death with subsequent resurrection. In classes (lions, hyenas and monkeys) they were taught in the bush camp e.g. in questions of faith, medicine, sexuality, life cycles, or hunting. Korè masks represented the symbolic animals of the respective class, and appeared annually at the end of the dry season and on the occasion of funerals. Jo An initiation association more common in the southern area, similar to the Ntomo and Korè, which was also open to young women. The initiates would go out into the surrounding areas and perform the songs and dances they had learned, with some of these groups including female figures carved from wood (jo nyeleni) in the action. After this initial training with a more educational purpose, the Bamana were free to take further initiations in male or female associations, such as komò, kònò, ci-wara, and many others, all of which perform specific tasks within Bamana society. Further reading: Colleyn, Jean-Paul (2001). Bamana, African Art from Mali. Zurich: Museum Rietberg. --------------------------------------------------------------- Please feel free to contact us for all questions you might have regarding this lot (translations, additional views, condition report etc.). CHF 1 500 / 3 000