Ox Mask (Dugn'be)
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Object Label
Masks representing dugn’be, meaning “the ox raised in the village,” are used in young men’s initiation ceremonies in the Bijagós Islands, on the Atlantic coast of Guinea-Bissau. The cord that runs through the nostrils of this mask shows that the initiate is like a tethered ox. His strengths, like those of the ox, must be both encouraged and controlled.
Caption
Bijagó. Ox Mask (Dugn'be), 20th century. Wood, raffia, bone, glass, metal, fur, paint, fiber, 15 1/2 x 19 x 9in. (39.4 x 48.3 x 22.9cm) . Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Gerofsky, 1992.69.3. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 1992.69.3_transp499.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Culture
Title
Ox Mask (Dugn'be)
Date
20th century
Geography
Place made: Bijagós Islands, Guinea-Bissau
Medium
Wood, raffia, bone, glass, metal, fur, paint, fiber
Classification
Dimensions
15 1/2 x 19 x 9in. (39.4 x 48.3 x 22.9cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Gerofsky
Accession Number
1992.69.3
Rights
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.
Frequent Art Questions
Holy Cow! Tell moo more!
This mask from the Bijagos Islands depicts an ox, as you may have noticed. It isn't hard to see why the Bijogo are best known for their animal masks. This mask in particular would have been worn by young men during initiation ceremonies, where young men would imitate the movements of bulls.
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