Bamum. <em>Funerary Headdress (Tugunga)</em>, late 19th century. Wood, rattan, pigment, 33 x 14 3/16 x 14 3/16 in. (83.8 x 36 x 36 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Melville W. Hall, 73.36. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 73.36_front_PS1.jpg)

Bamum. Funerary Headdress (Tugunga), late 19th century. Wood, rattan, pigment, 33 x 14 3/16 x 14 3/16 in. (83.8 x 36 x 36 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Melville W. Hall, 73.36. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 73.36_front_PS1.jpg)

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Download our app and ask your own questions during your visit. Here are some that others have asked.

How long did this take to make?

We actually do not know. Many of these objects were made in the 19th century and when the collectors/anthropologists/ethnologists collected them, they did not record that kind of information (and since the artist is no longer living, there is no way to get that information).

I love this mask, but what is it for?

Masks like this would have been worn during funerals. It would sit on top of a person's head, so it would command a lot of respect from the spectators. A skirt would cover the woven basket like neck. The straps you see would help keep the mask on the wearer's head.

It comes from the Baumam kingdom of Cameroon and would have been worn by a member of a secret men's society known as Nsoro.

Cool but I think it is scary a little. I don't want to be afraid AND sad at a funeral.

I can see that for sure.The Nsoro society I mentioned earlier were warriors tasked with maintaining social order. It makes sense that a mask representing them would be a bit fearsome don't you think?

The carving at the top of the head represents the elaborate woven hats popular among high ranking men in Bamum society.

Yes but why are there three teeth instead of two like rabbit teeth?

It was a choice by the artist who made the mask. However, I'm not comfortable speculating any meaning from the way the teeth are carved. Masks are often nonrepresentational/otherworldly characters blended with human characteristics.

Sometimes the choices can tell us a bit about what's happening when a mask is made. For example, the Ode-Lay Mask in the same room has dragons on it because kung-fu movies were really popular in Sierra Leone at the time.

What was this mask used for?

This mask by the Bamum or Tikar in West Africa . This type of headdress would only be worn by members of the men's warrior society known as the Nsoro. Traditionally danced in pairs with one mask representing the king or chief and the other representing his wife.

These would be worn at funerals of important members of society, such as kings, chiefs, elders and members of the Nsoro society.

Why is is scary?

How?

The Nsoro society tasked with settling disputes, and so perhaps this mask was meant to be a bit frightening to reiterate that point.

How would it be worn? The fiber structure below the face is there to lift the mask above the wearers head, it would be covered by a grass skirt. The straps would be held by the wearer to stabilize the mask.

I sense that 'when' might be the next question. This mask was made in the late 19th century :)

Funerary Headdress (Tugunga)

Arts of Africa

Becoming Controlled

Because masks take on nonhuman, otherworldly characteristics, they are particularly effective as mediators of power. Despite their capacity for freedom and play, masks can also express social limits, serving as agents of calm in moments of tension or anxiety, or as frightening policers of the community on behalf of those in power.

The Igbudu mask represents the evil forces that can threaten a community. One of the only examples of Yoruba sculptural art that is deliberately unattractive, it features a sharp brow, protruding eyes, and wide mouth—all designed to frighten.

The commanding Loma mask, Okobuzogui, is used by the Poro society, a secret men’s association that serves, among other roles, to initiate boys into adulthood. Poro mythology holds that Okobuzogui “swallows” the boys in his menacing jaws as they leave the village for the initiation camp; he also accompanies them upon their return as young men.

Tugunga headdresses are worn only by those who belong to a secret Bamum society of warriors, known as the Nsoro, who perform at the funerals of important members of the community. The masks impress with their size and grandeur and elicit fear and apprehension since they represent the society charged with adjudicating disputes and protecting the king.

CULTURES Bamum or Tikar

MEDIUM Wood, rattan, pigment

Place Made: Grassfields region, Northwest Province, Cameroon

DATES late 19th century

DIMENSIONS 33 x 14 3/16 x 14 3/16 in. (83.8 x 36 x 36 cm) (show scale)

COLLECTIONS Arts of Africa

ACCESSION NUMBER 73.36

CREDIT LINE Gift of Mrs. Melville W. Hall

CATALOGUE DESCRIPTION Funerary headdress. The carved head of blackened wood, decorated by an ochre pigment decoration, rests on a wood neck-base. This base is covered by basketry weavings. The forms of the face are flat in character and are marked contrast to the undulating lines of the headdress.

EXHIBITIONS

MUSEUM LOCATION This item is not on view

CAPTION Bamum. Funerary Headdress (Tugunga), late 19th century. Wood, rattan, pigment, 33 x 14 3/16 x 14 3/16 in. (83.8 x 36 x 36 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Mrs. Melville W. Hall, 73.36. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 73.36_front_PS1.jpg)

IMAGE front, 73.36_front_PS1.jpg. Brooklyn Museum photograph, 2007

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RIGHTS STATEMENT Creative Commons-BY

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