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Mau. <em>Koma Ba Mask</em>, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 76.20.2_SL1.jpg)
Mau. Koma Ba Mask, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 76.20.2_SL1.jpg)
Mau. <em>Koma Ba Mask</em>, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 76.20.2_SL1.jpg)

Mau. Koma Ba Mask, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 76.20.2_SL1.jpg)

Mau. <em>Koma Ba Mask</em>, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.76.20.2_print_front_bw.jpg)

Mau. Koma Ba Mask, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.76.20.2_print_front_bw.jpg)

Mau. <em>Koma Ba Mask</em>, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.76.20.2_2007_xrs_detail01.jpg)

Mau. Koma Ba Mask, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.76.20.2_2007_xrs_detail01.jpg)

Mau. <em>Koma Ba Mask</em>, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.76.20.2_2007_xrs_detail02.jpg)

Mau. Koma Ba Mask, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.76.20.2_2007_xrs_detail02.jpg)

Mau. <em>Koma Ba Mask</em>, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.76.20.2_2007_xrs_detail03.jpg)

Mau. Koma Ba Mask, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.76.20.2_2007_xrs_detail03.jpg)

Mau. <em>Koma Ba Mask</em>, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.76.20.2_2007_xrs_detail04.jpg)

Mau. Koma Ba Mask, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.76.20.2_2007_xrs_detail04.jpg)

Mau. <em>Koma Ba Mask</em>, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.76.20.2_2007_xrs_detail05.jpg)

Mau. Koma Ba Mask, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.76.20.2_2007_xrs_detail05.jpg)

Mau. <em>Koma Ba Mask</em>, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.76.20.2_2007_xrs_detail06.jpg)

Mau. Koma Ba Mask, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.76.20.2_2007_xrs_detail06.jpg)

Mau. <em>Koma Ba Mask</em>, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.76.20.2_2007_xrs_detail07.jpg)

Mau. Koma Ba Mask, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.76.20.2_2007_xrs_detail07.jpg)

Mau. <em>Koma Ba Mask</em>, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.76.20.2_2007_xrs_detail08.jpg)

Mau. Koma Ba Mask, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.76.20.2_2007_xrs_detail08.jpg)

Mau. <em>Koma Ba Mask</em>, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.76.20.2_2007_xrs_detail09.jpg)

Mau. Koma Ba Mask, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CONS.76.20.2_2007_xrs_detail09.jpg)

Mau. <em>Koma Ba Mask</em>, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 76.20.2_side_SL1.jpg)

Mau. Koma Ba Mask, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 76.20.2_side_SL1.jpg)

Mau. <em>Koma Ba Mask</em>, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.76.20.2_print_side_bw.jpg)

Mau. Koma Ba Mask, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.76.20.2_print_side_bw.jpg)

Mau. <em>Koma Ba Mask</em>, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.76.20.2_print_top_bw.jpg)

Mau. Koma Ba Mask, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, CUR.76.20.2_print_top_bw.jpg)

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Koma Ba Mask

Arts of Africa

Only initiates of the Koma men’s society may see the figure of the koma ba, which dances in the village to attract evil spirits that roam the bush at night. Koma ba masks are composed of a human face with a beak extending from the chin and wooden horns on the head. The horns are filled with substances that protect the wearer from sorcerer spells. The mask is heavily encrusted with blood and with chewed and expectorated kola nut; in addition, X-rays show a miniature metal bow and an arrow point as well as rifle-shell casings beneath the surface materials, all of which increase the power of the mask.
CULTURE Mau
MEDIUM Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials
  • Place Made: Ivory Coast
    • DATES late 19th-early 20th century
    DIMENSIONS 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm)  (show scale)
    COLLECTIONS Arts of Africa
    ACCESSION NUMBER 76.20.2
    CREDIT LINE Gift of Marcia and John Friede
    CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Mask (composite-bird, animal, human). It has a large curved bird-like beak for a mouth that is open. Inserted into the back of the mouth is a medicine bundle with hair protruding on right side. Across the top rear of the mouth, cowrie shells have been embedded in a band and a horn. The eyes are slit-shaped and void; the nose is visible but heavily encrusted with various types of material. Two horns extend on either side of the forehead.The forehead is heavily encrusted with various types of substances including mud, string horns, nails and what appears to be three shotgun shell casings. At the top are two ears, two wooden horns, and a large cluster of brown feathers. Condition: All of the added parts and various substances are loose. Parts of the heavily encrusted sections of the forehead are breaking away. This piece was examined by Conservation shortly after arrival.
    EXHIBITIONS
    MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view
    CAPTION Mau. Koma Ba Mask, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 76.20.2_SL1.jpg)
    IMAGE overall, 76.20.2_SL1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph
    "CUR" at the beginning of an image file name means that the image was created by a curatorial staff member. These study images may be digital point-and-shoot photographs, when we don\'t yet have high-quality studio photography, or they may be scans of older negatives, slides, or photographic prints, providing historical documentation of the object.
    RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY
    You may download and use Brooklyn Museum images of this three-dimensional work in accordance with a Creative Commons license. Fair use, as understood under the United States Copyright Act, may also apply. Please include caption information from this page and credit the Brooklyn Museum. If you need a high resolution file, please fill out our online application form (charges apply). For further information about copyright, we recommend resources at the United States Library of Congress, Cornell University, Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums, and Copyright Watch. For more information about the Museum's rights project, including how rights types are assigned, please see our blog posts on copyright. If you have any information regarding this work and rights to it, please contact copyright@brooklynmuseum.org.
    RECORD COMPLETENESS
    Not every record you will find here is complete. More information is available for some works than for others, and some entries have been updated more recently. Records are frequently reviewed and revised, and we welcome any additional information you might have.
    Mau. <em>Koma Ba Mask</em>, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, cowrie shells, metal, feathers, horns, leather, fiber, sacrificial materials, 41 x 11 x 11 in. (104.1 x 27.9 x 27.9 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 76.20.2. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 76.20.2_SL1.jpg)

    TAGS

    African mask
    Beak
    ceremonial
    cowries
    dung
    face
    feathers
    horn
    Hornbill
    horns
    Ivory-Coast
    Koma mask
    large
    mask
    metal
    organic
    Sacrifice
    spirit
    surprising
    wood
    x-ray

    TAGS

    African mask
    Beak
    ceremonial
    cowries
    dung
    face
    feathers
    horn
    Hornbill
    horns
    Ivory-Coast
    Koma mask
    large
    mask
    metal
    organic
    Sacrifice
    spirit
    surprising
    wood
    x-ray

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