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Special Exhibitions | |
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Gallery of Sub-Saharan African Art |
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Gallery of Sub-Saharan African Art
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Curator's Highlight Tour
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Serpent headdress
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Serpent headdress Among the Baga and some neighboring peoples, this type of headdress embodied the feared serpent spirit Ninkinanka.Ninkinanka was honored for giving rain, bestowing riches, and bringing children to the infertile. Its incarnation appeared at the end of the first level of the initiation for boys and girls, or just before the circumcision at the beginning of the boys’ initiation. The serpent figure would be placed vertically on top of a conical framework or armature of palm branches that was carried on a male dancer’s head. The framework itself was covered with a palmfiber costume that reached to the ground. Large pieces of brightly colored fabrics were wrapped over the upper part of the costume, and feathers and cloth streamers were attached to the serpent’s head. Page 4 of 9 | On the next page: Face mask |
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