Senufo helmet

Senufo bronze helmet (Savannas district, Ivory Coast)

Hostile and warlike in appearance, the Senufo horned helmet nevertheless performs the same functions as ritual masks in other parts of West Africa. Healers use it as a crest or headdress on the head of the masked person, whose face is hidden behind the mane that hangs from the edge of the helmet.
Sometimes made of wood, in this case the healer chose to cast a helmet in bronze and give it the face of a sleepy animal, with cow horns and the ears of a Gaffiya rat. Between the horns a woman with five braids gives a face to the venerated spirit, to whom after the dances and celebrations millet beer will be offered. The edge of the helmet has about twenty holes into which the mane must be inserted.

Measurements: 23.5x28 cm; Height: 14.0 cm; Weight: 1.88 Kg