• Nafana, Ivory Coast (Bondoukou Region)

• Wood, pigment

• Mid 20th Century

• 76 x 26.5 in. / 193 x 57 cm

The Bedu association arose in 1930 in the Nafana village Oulike and rapidly spread to neighboring communities like the Nafana, Kulango, and Hwela. Bedu masks were danced annually after the yam harvest in northeastern Ivory Coast. They performed in male-female pairs or individually in purification ceremonies that invigorated the community and served to renew a sense of well-being. Male Bedu masks are recognizable by their horns, whereas female masks such as this have a round disk above their head (Hahner-Herzog, Kecskési, and Vajda, African Masks, 1998).

Shipping quoted separately.

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