Africa, Guinea, Baga / Snake Headdress (Basonyi) / c. 1930s

Africa, Guinea, Baga
Snake Headdress (Basonyi)
c. 1930s
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Creator Name: Unknown
Creator Nationality: Guinean
Creator Name-CRT: Africa, Guinea, Baga
Title: Snake Headdress (Basonyi)
Title Type: Primary
View: Detail
Creation Start Date: 1930
Creation End Date: 1939
Creation Date: c. 1930s
Object Type: Sculpture
Materials and Techniques: Wood and pigment
Dimensions: Overall: 148cm
AMICA Contributor: The Cleveland Museum of Art
Owner Location: Cleveland, Ohio, USA
ID Number: 1960.37
Credit Line: The Norweb Collection
Rights: http://www.clemusart.com/museum/disclaim2.html
Provenance: M. Komor
Style or Period: Africa, Guinea, Baga
Context: Among the Baga, carved wooden serpents represent the spirit Basonyi, patron of two lower ranks of the male initiation society called to-lom. Manipulated by several men in performance, the headdress is decorated with streamers and supported on a scaffolding covered in palm leaves and cloth. The snake may be a python -- symbol of water and the rainbow -- whose changing colors are likened to the transformation of young boys into men during initiation.
AMICA ID: CMA_.1960.37
AMICA Library Year: 2000
Media Metadata Rights:

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