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Source Description
This type of helmet was worn in rituals demonstrating a boy’s transition from one age group to the next, prior to his actual initiation into the secret Poro society. The pre-initiates were viewed as unknowing and anxious oxen, so the horns on such helmets may refer to those of horned cattle. The female figure alludes to women’s supernatural powers, which assure the welfare of Poro members.
Scholar Source Context
Document identity
localId
148153
label
Helmet Mask
core
obj
dtoType
object
pageCount
1
Source metadata
id
148153
contentType
object
title
Helmet Mask
description
This type of helmet was worn in rituals demonstrating a boy’s transition from one age group to the next, prior to his actual initiation into the secret Poro society. The pre-initiates were viewed as unknowing and anxious oxen, so the horns on such helmets may refer to those of horned cattle. The female figure alludes to women’s supernatural powers, which assure the welfare of Poro members.
date
early to mid-1900s
rights
CC0
rightsUri
CC0
language
en
genreSpecific
Mask
imageCount
1
source
import
dimensionsRaw
Overall: 34.9 cm (13 3/4 in.)
cul
Africa, West Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, Senufo-style carver
accession
1975.152
Source extras
tec
Wood, upholstery studs, and colorant
tombstone
Helmet Mask, early to mid-1900s. Africa, West Africa, Côte d'Ivoire, Senufo-style carver. Wood, upholstery studs, and colorant; overall: 34.9 cm (13 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Gift of Katherine C. White, 1975.152
collection
African Art
formerAccessionNumbers
620.68
didYouKnow
Cowrie shells, feathers, and other accessories once decorated this helmet.
citations
citation
The Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>1975 Year in Review</em>. Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 63, no. 3, cat. 29.
citation
Fagg, William. <em>African Tribal Images; the Katherine White Reswick Collection</em>. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Museum of Art, 1968, no. 22.
page_number
No. 22
citation
Lee, Sherman E. “The Year in Review for 1975.” <em>The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art</em> 63, no. 2 (1976): 31–71.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 64, no. 29; mentioned: p. 66, no. 29.
citation
Petridis, Constantijn. <em>South of the Sahara: Selected works of African Art. </em>Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2003.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 44-45, color plate 7
citation
Petridis, Constantine. “Buffalo Helmets of Tussian and Siemu Peoples of Burkina Faso.” <em>African Arts</em> 41, no. 3 (2008): 26–43.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 35; mentioned: p. 38.
citation
Cleveland Museum of Art. <em>The CMA Companion: A Guide to the Cleveland Museum of Art</em>. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2014.
page_number
Mentioned and reproduced: P. 30
citation
Walter, Sheri. “Exhibitions 2015.” <em>Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine </em>54, no. 4 (July/August 2014): 14.
page_number
Reproduced and Mentioned: p. 14
citation
Gagliardi, Susan Elizabeth, and Constantijn Petridis. <em>Senufo Unbound: Dynamics of Art and Identity in West Africa</em>. 2014.
page_number
Reproduced: pp. 174-5, fig. 127.
citation
Gagliardi, Susan Elizabeth, and Constantijn Petridis. <em>Senufo Unbound: Dynamics of Art and Identity in West Africa. </em>Cleveland: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 2015.
page_number
pp. 174-5, fig. 127
citation
"Art on View: Art and Identity in West Africa." <em>Tribal Art</em> 19, no. 74 (Winter 2014): 70.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 70
citation
Gagliardi, Susan Elizabeth and Constantine Petridis. "Senufo Unbound: Dynamics of Art and Identity in West Africa."<em> African Arts</em> 48, no. 1 (Spring 2015): 6-23.
page_number
Reproduced: p. 15, fig. 11
creditline
Gift of Katherine C. White
updatedAt
2026-05-29 07:36:57.189000
sourceId
148153
dept
African Art
coll
African Art
med
Wood, upholstery studs, and colorant
thumbnail_url
image_url
Single page context
seq
1
pageIndex
0
type
photo
mediaId
ea72f42b49d859eb