Bamana animal mask

Bamana animal puppet mask. 20th century

This mask is from the KORE society representing the Hyena (sukuru ). It has a large face with
prominent forehead, a concave face divided by a straight nose, two pointed ears, glass eyes and an
open mouth with a moving jaw as a puppet and beautiful vibrant color dots.
The mask is made out of dense wood and shows signs of use.
Worn by adult BAMANA males during initiation of young me
into adult status. All BAMANA males advance through various level of initiation and secret
knowledge and the KORE mask appears for only the most senior of men, representing their personal
struggle to achieve knowledge and wisdom. The symbol of the mask identifies it as a SUKURU mask
of the KORE society. SUKURU mask are seen as a combination of human and Hyena features.
Hyenas a thought by BAMANA to represent foolish behavior reflecting a uniformed view of the world,
very much like the young male initiates. Carved in secret by blacksmith mask was made from a single
piece of wood and reflect the skill of the Bamana sculptor.