Mask (n'tomo)

c. 1930

Mask (n'tomo), c. 1930. Africa, West Africa, Mali, Bamana-style or Malinke-style blacksmith-carver. Wood, aluminum, copper alloy, animal hair, and steel; overall: 62.2 x 23 x 15.3 cm (24 1/2 x 9 1/16 x 6 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Andrew R. and Martha Holden Jennings Fund 1994.14 Malinke is the term used for Islamic Bamana speakers in Mali. Although Muslim, the Malinke have retained traditional initiation societies responsible for training boys to fulfill their adult roles. Masking performances and other techniques are used to instill self-awareness, discipline, and sacred knowledge in young men. Aluminum, which first became available with the advent of airplanes, enriches the mask’s surface with cut and stamped geometric shapes.