Headdress (Zigiren-Wɔndɛ)
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Object Label
This headdress is known as zigiren-wunde, or “the new bride.” Entirely secular in nature, it celebrates the role of Baga women in both human and agricultural fertility, and in nurturing the community.
The zigiren-wunde is owned and performed by groups of young men solely for entertainment, especially at weddings. The performer wears it on top of the head, grasping the leglike projections at the base of the mask to steady it. These “shoulders” are draped with cloth, leaving the figure’s breasts exposed, and the costume is completed with the addition of a skirt of palm fiber.
Caption
Possibly Baga; possibly Koba; possibly Kakissa; possibly Landuma. Headdress (Zigiren-Wɔndɛ), late 19th–early 20th century. Wood, upholstery stud, 33 x 7 3/4 x 9 in. (83.8 x 19.7 x 22.9 cm) Base height: 2 in. (5.1 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Marcia and John Friede, 74.66.5. Creative Commons-BY (Photo: Brooklyn Museum, 74.66.5_PS1.jpg)
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Gallery
Not on view
Collection
Title
Headdress (Zigiren-Wɔndɛ)
Date
late 19th–early 20th century
Geography
Place made: Guinea
Medium
Wood, upholstery stud
Classification
Dimensions
33 x 7 3/4 x 9 in. (83.8 x 19.7 x 22.9 cm) Base height: 2 in. (5.1 cm)
Credit Line
Gift of Marcia and John Friede
Accession Number
74.66.5
Rights
Creative Commons-BY
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