SOLD
Rare! SUAGA BOR mini mask, MAMBILA, Nigeria/Cameroon, 1930-40
Overview
Extremely rare!
This mini mask of the Mambila from the border area of Nigeria with Cameroon, which is intensively used in rituals. The mask is called Suaga Bor in situ. It is a zoomorphic mask and depicts a hunting dog and a magpie (a kind of magpie). These primal forces from nature are represented in rituals. More specifically, the rituals are focused on finding water by a hunting dog and magpie in times of great drought. The ritual is performed in a hut or around a campfire by members of the Kuosi society. The mask may also have stood at an altar. The custom is not as strict as among tribes in Congo. The mask shows obvious traces of rituals and kaolin and tukula powder are visible. A mask in this used condition and of this age is extremely rare. I had a custom stand made for it.
Length: 18cm
Weight: 21 grams, including stand 71 grams
Origin: Border area Nigeria with Cameroon
Dating: 1930-40
Provenance: Obtained from a private collection near Oudenaarde, Flanders
(Price in a gallery €450-€550)