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Female mask.
Bamana.
Mali.
Height is 13 inches.
Wood, stain.
Mid 20th Century.
A lovely Bamana mask with exquisite detail and a serene expression. The function of purely human-form face masks is poorly understood, unlike masks used by the various animist societies like the "Kore," "Komo," and "N'tomo," which are better-known. The genesis of the Bamana as a definable culture can be traced back to the 17th century, though archaeological evidence hints that they could be much older. They are of Mandinke origin and today are the largest culture in Mali. The zenith of Bamana culture occured during the late 18th century during the reign of N'golo Diara, who conquered the Peul tribe and occupied the important cities of Timbuktu and Djenne. They remained powerful until conquered by the French in 1892. Recently, like many African cultures, they have been affected by Islamic settlers from the east. Though the Bamana still consider themselves animists, many villagers now practice a hybrid version of both "religions." This has allowed these competing cultures to coexist peacefully.
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