Female dance headdress Baga Nimba (D'mba/Yamban) late 19th century |
D'mba exhibits all the marks of noble motherhood, including finely braided hair, nurturing breast and elegant comportment. wood, metal. raffia. The largest mask in the collection is Nimba mask used by the Baga, who live primarily on the west coast of Africa in Guinea. The Baga are involved in fishing and farming with rice as the principal food and cash crop. The Simo society uses the Nimba mask during rice harvest festivals to encourage fertility of the Baga people and rice crop. At the rice harvest festivals, an adult male, hidden beneath the raffia skirt, wears the Nimba mask on his shoulder and dances through the fields to insure both a good crop and a good birthrate. Carved out a solid block of wood, the Nimba mask weighs between 80 and 100 pounds. When worn by an adult the Nimba mask can tower eight feet in height so it will easily be seen moving through the fields. The Nimba mask depict a female figure. Note the ritual beauty scarring on the face and chest. In many cultures it is usual for female figures to be associated with agricultural plenty ( Mother Earth or the Roman goddess Ceres, for example. ) |