suaga mask, unrecorded Mambila artist

Artwork Overview

unrecorded Mambila artist, suaga mask
unrecorded Mambila artist
late 1800s–1982
suaga mask, late 1800s–1982
Where object was made: Cameroon
Material/technique: wood; pigment; carving; cord; gum resin
Dimensions:
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 35 x 13.5 x 15.5 cm
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 13 3/4 x 5 5/16 x 6 1/8 in
Credit line: Gift of Larry W. Welling
Accession number: 2007.3145
Not on display

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Images

Label texts

Exhibition Label:
"For Life's Sake: Arts from Africa," Oct-1983, Reinhild Kauenhoven Janzen
A mutual aid society of the Mambila people of Northern Cameroon used this crest in their dances at the time of sowing and harvesting festivals and also at funerals. It is called Suah Byur and is a representation of a crow, one of the sacred birds connected with the mythology of the Mambila. To keep this mask, which is carved of soft wood, in good condition, it needed to be repainted frequently with camwood red, kaolin white and black from ashes mixed with oil and water. The dancer wore the crest horizontally with a costume of feathers.

Exhibitions

Reinhild Kauenhoven Janzen, curator
1983