This is the rating and price for Early 20Th C. African Mali Bamana Kore Suruku Wood Mask

Description : **First Time At Auction** Africa, Mali, Bamana peoples, ca. early to mid 20th century CE. A fascinating hand-carved wood mask representing the stylized face of a hyena, used in the initiation ritual for young men in the Bamana society. The heavy brow is characteristic of the Bamana carving style. With pointed ears, square-cut eyes, and a double beard, it has a distorted, abstract appearance but its meaning would be immediately apparent to members of the society. This style of mask is called Kore (the society of young men) Suruku (hyena). Size: 5.75 L x 5.9 W x 17.8 H (14.6 cm x 15 cm x 45.2 cm) The spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) is native to the Bamana homeland in Mali, and they play a lively role in their folklore. They are seen as abnormal and ambivalent… considered to be sly, brutish, necrophagous, dangerous… according to the folklorist Frembgen (1998). Within their secret societies, the Bamana people practice transformative rituals where they use masks and role-playing to become animals, in the Kore cult for young men, the animal they become is the hyena. By playing the hyena, they act out the trickiness and nastiness that they believe the animal embodies, provoking fear and providing moral guidance on how not to act as good citizens of Bamana society. Compare to this example sold at Christie's Paris for EUR 2000 in 2011: Provenance: Ex-Adeon Gallery, Chicago, IL, acquired prior to 1970 All items legal to buy/sell under U.S. Statute covering cultural patrimony Code 2600, CHAPTER 14, and are guaranteed to be as described or your money back. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. We ship worldwide and handle all shipping in-house for your convenience. #119099
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