Tribal Art

Canadian African Tribal Art Collection.
Baga religious practices and African art.
The Baga use various crest masks in the image of young girls, the tiyambo evoking a young puberty and the yombifissa or "beautiful hair". These masks are often escorted by women singing songs in susu, on the occasion of harvests, weddings, visits of dignitaries.

Dark oiled patina, abrasions of use and cracks.
Native restorations.
Mixed with the Nalu and the Landuman, the Baga live along the coasts of Guinea-Bissau in areas of swamps flooded six months a year . They believe in a creator god called Nagu , Naku , whom they do not represent, and who is accompanied by a male spirit one of whose names is Topup . Apart from the famous Nimba mask, they created a powerful mask, a hybrid of snake, gazelle, chameleon and crocodile, with the aim of communicating with the spirits of the forest.

The fundamental ritual among the Baga and their neighbors consists of initiation, which takes place every twenty-four years. The initiation society is named after the summoned spirit, or to-lom (sacred). After the abandonment of rites following Islamization, colonization, or conversions to Christianity, the Baga today seek to revive their traditions through festive ceremonies using masks.
Source: "Baga" D. Berliner