Initiated hunter's jacket. Bambara, Mali, 20th century

Initiated hunter's jacket. Bambara, Mali, 20th century.
Textiles, amulets, cowries, leather and various materials.

Bambara is a Mandinka ethnic group inhabiting West Africa, mainly in Mali but also in Guinea, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal. This mask belongs to the Secret Society "Po", the Male Secret Societies, are presided by men. The representation of the Secret Societies belonging to various West African countries has remained in force beyond their own geographical borders, that is to say, they have remained as a system of expression of a socio-religious practice that is representative of certain ethnic groups and are an expression of hierarchy within the community.