Senufo: Senambele
Côte d'Ivoire
Northern Africa and the Sahel
Helmet Mask (Kponyungo)
INV-1875
Senufo: Senambele
Côte d'Ivoire
Northern Africa and the Sahelmid-19th to early 20th century
Helmet Mask (Kponyungo)
Senufo: Senambele Côte d'Ivoire Northern Africa and the Sahel →senufoNorthern Africa and the SahelArts of Africaafrican Artmasksarts of Africa
Date
mid-19th to early 20th century
Medium
Wood and pigment
Dimensions
27.9 × 27.3 × 102.9 cm (11 × 10 3/4 × 40 1/2 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
The Art Institute of Chicago, African and Amerindian Art Purchase Fund
Among the Senufo, poro is the generic name for age-grade associations whose functions include interceding with supernatural forces, honoring ancestors, and educating young people. The many elements of composite horizontal masks called kponyungo portray powerful spirits that escort the deceased to the other world and protect the community from supernatural danger. Expressing its potency in that realm, this mask’s animal references include a crocodile’s jaw, a hyena’s snout, and horns of both a ram and an antelope.
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