Tribal Art

French African art collection.
Three male figures with Nimba's heads support this spectacular, conical baga drum, adorned with a well-preserved polychromy. The skin of the drum, stretched and held by ropes and large studs, has many traces of use. Called timba by the Baga, matimbo by the Pokur and The Nalu, this musical instrument was played by men with chopsticks during ceremonial rituals.
Mêlés aux Nalu and Landuman , the Baga live along the coasts of Guinea-Bissau in areas of swamps flooded six months a year. These Baga groups based on the coast and living from rice farming are made up of seven subgroups, including the Baga Kalum, Bulongic, Baga sitem, Baga Mandori, etc. They believe in a creative god called Nagu, Naku, which they do not represent, and which is accompanied by a male spirit whose name is Somtup. Apart from the famous Nimba mask, they have created a powerful mask, hybrid snake, gazelle, chameleon and crocodile, with the aim of communicating with the spirits of the forest. After the abandonment of rites following Islamization, colonization, or conversions to Christianity, the Baga now seek to revive their traditions through festive ceremonies using masks. In parallel with the extinction of male initiations since the 1950s, women's societies have organized danced ritual ceremonies in which possession and divination sessions are frequently held. These groups make use of caryatid sculptures, masks and drums. Ref. :"Baga" D.Berliner