Large Senufo Wood Helmet Mask Seated Woman Superstructure Zigzag Dome

West Africa, Senufo peoples. A carved wood helmet mask with a deep, domed cap. On top sits a nude female figure enclosed by a tall arch. Her arms stretch out to grip the arch, and incised bands at the wrists suggest bracelets. Her legs straddle the crown and her feet rest on the brow. She has a crested coiffure, a scarified face, conical breasts, and a rounded belly that may show pregnancy. Two flaring, leaf-shaped ears project from the sides, so the human figure rides on an animal-like head. A single horn rises at the back. Deeply cut zigzag bands, a central trapezoidal panel, and serrated lines cover the dome, and holes along the rim probably held a fiber costume. The weathered gray-brown surface shows wear. Among the Senufo, who live across northern Côte d'Ivoire, southern Mali, and western Burkina Faso, masks are closely tied to Poro. Poro is the men's association that oversees initiation, teaching, and the funeral rites that send the dead to the ancestors. Helmet masks are worn over the whole head. The wearer sees out through gaps in the costume, and a fiber or cloth garment fastened at the rim hides the body. Female imagery is central to Senufo religious thought. Poro is often described as acting under the authority of "Ancient Mother" (Ka'tieleo), and women's associations such as Sandogo look after divination and family welfare. A seated woman with prominent breasts and a full belly therefore probably refers to fertility, lineage continuity, and maternal power. That reading fits the culture broadly, but it cannot be tied to one ritual for this mask. Here the human figure sits on a head with animal ears and a horn. Senufo carvers often combine animal and human elements in one mask, joining creatures of the bush to the social world of the village. The arch framing the figure turns the crest into a small shrine, a visual device Senufo and neighboring West African workshops used in the later 20th century. A Certificate of Authenticity will accompany all winning bids. Item # 202946

Estimate:£260.11

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