Marionnette haute qualité animalière bamana africaine

Wonderfully expressive carved wood animal puppet mask with a movable jaw and polychrome paint from the Bamana of Mali.

20"L x 6.5W x 25"H

Sogo bo,the puppet masquerade drama of the Bamana, is an exploration of the moral universe. The largest group of masquerade characters and the oldest performed in the theater are bush animals. In Bamana communities, the bush is defined as the domain of men and the interpretation of the theaters bush animal characters are informed by beliefs and values associated with hunting and with hunters as men of action and societys heros. In theSogo botheater, bush haute qualité animal masquerades remain important precisely because they are richly drawn and complex metaphors through which to explore the nature of knowledge and power [and] the relationship of the individual to the group.

fromThe Sogowby Mary Jo Arnoldi inBamana: The Art of Existence in Mali. New York: Museum of African Art.