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SNAKE (BANSONYI) HEADDRESS. Baga people, Guinea. The snake headdress mask or “Master of Medicine” represents the snake spirit that is associated with fertility, prosperity, and protection from danger. Placed in a receptacle in a conical armature that is supported on the performer’s shoulders, the snake towers above his head. Bansonyi appears at male initiation ceremonies. The face is defined by raised, round eyes set high on either side of the triangular head. A ridge with carved motifs extends along the full length of the front. Remnants of layers of paint are evident on the surface. The concave base would sit like a cap on the performer’s padded head, held in place by an armature (see picture). This example dates from the 1930s-1940s prior to Guinea’s independence from France in 1958. After independence, the Muslim-dominant, Socialist-Communist government of Guinea decreed that all objects related to native religious practices be destroyed. This included virtually all Bansonyi existing at the time. However, a small number were rescued by European collectors and a few were hidden away in remote rural villages. This example belongs to the latter group. Wood, paint. H52in. Published in “Masks from West and Central Africa” p17 Fig5.
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Baga Serpent, Republic of Guinea sold by Southeby's
