Loma Toma PORO Society Mask OLD African Art Liberia

A Splendid OLD Toma Loma Poro Society LANDAI / DANDAI Mask
Antique African Art - Tribal Sculpture - Guinea Liberia Border

Collected from the: Toma (Loma) peoples of Guinea Liberia border region in West Africa
Material: Carved wood, doubled netting, raffia, pigment
Period: Mid 20th century
Dimensions: 23" height, 9.5" width, 4.75" depth; weight is 3.05 pounds
Condition: Excellent. Splendid specimen from a private British (London) collection, considerable signs of age with wear from authentic tribal use. Small area of top netting layer in lower right corner separated, minor wood loss at top and upper right back rim edges tests stable and appears to have occur ed early on considering the patination present, all exposed wood presents significant patination - an exceptional example of this form!

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Toma Loma Tribal History with Mask Traditions and Use
The Toma people of Guinea (known as Loma in Liberia) number 200,000 and live in the high-altitude rain forest lying across the Guinea-Liberia border. Artistically, their reputation rests on their Landai or Dandai mask which has an articulated crocodile jaw and a flattened, stylized face. This mask symbolically devours Poro society candidates at the end of their initiation period, after which they are revived as full members of this sodality. Some rare figures exist which are kept within each household. The Loma of Liberia (Toma in Guinea) were one of the numerous Mande-speaking populations who descended from the northern savanna region into the forested band of West Africa during the turbulent conditions of the later days of the Malian empire (1230-1670). In recent times the majority (numbering around 150,000) have occupied the hilly forested region of northern Liberia. In the past, their most notable sculptural forms were long wooden masks that combined human and animal features. Worn only by men, the masks were fitted over the wearer’s head horizontally and functioned within the major men’s association generally known as Poro. The Poro society traditionally regulated land use, organized work groups and enforced regulations regarding initiation, marriage, trade and comportment. The largest known Loma mask measured 1.82 m in height, with a long, movable, crocodile-toothed maul, a mid-section of human-like face with exaggerated nose and forehead, along with a huge bunch of feathers from birds of prey extending out the back. For the Loma and their neighbors, the Bandi, that frightening image represented the major forest spirit, known as Dandai, Landai, or Landa, which manifested the power of Poro; one of its duties was to symbolically devour boys during the initiation rituals in order to give them rebirth as men. While such huge masks are rare in Western collections, one encounters numerous examples of a mask that early reports identified as Nyangbai, the wife of the great Landai forest spirit. Of smaller dimensions and lacking the extended maul, the female masks were worn directly over a man’s face and thus appeared less threatening to the indigenous population. The female partners to the big male masks typically served to help at periods of initiation, or made occasional appearances but only at important funerals or crises. One may easily note a wide variety of the smaller female Nyangbai masks incorrectly identified as their larger male Dandai/Landai counterparts in the Western (art) market of today.

Cat. # dm25

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