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Image Not Available for Kòmò society helmet mask (Warakun)
Kòmò society helmet mask (Warakun)
Image Not Available for Kòmò society helmet mask (Warakun)

Kòmò society helmet mask (Warakun)

MediumWood, feathers, quills, antelope horn, pig hairs, animal fur, and encrustation
DimensionsHeight: 23 inches (58.4 cm)
CultureMali, Bamana peoples
ClassificationsCostume
Credit LineGift of Mr. William W. Brill
Terms
  • Mali
  • Costume
  • horns and Encrustations
  • Crocodiles
  • Secret societies
  • Wood
  • Bamana
Object number89.015.015
Label CopyBRIEF DESCRIPTION This mask would be worn by a high-ranking member of the secret Kòmò society, a popular civic organization of Bamana men. WHERE WAS IT MADE? This mask comes from Mali, in West Africa. HOW WAS IT MADE? Blacksmiths, who are leaders in the Kòmò society, are the only men who can make the warakun masks. Because they can harness the power of fire and iron, blacksmiths are awarded special status in Bamana communities. The mask is made from wood, and then covered in a variety of animal and vegetal materials. Over time, it is encrusted with libations of animal blood, ground or masticated millet, powdered minerals and bones, clay and other various materials. HOW WAS IT USED? The Kòmò society is a civic organization of men whose members come from different clans and different occupations. This secret society is the most popular of all Bamana power associations. Members gain both philosophical and practical knowledge about their community and participate in both fighting crime and settling judicial cases. People swear oaths to the Kòmò and fear personal disaster if they transgress. A high-ranking Kòmò member dances the Warakun mask and communicates to others in a loud bellowing voice distorted with a kazoo-like voice disguiser. A fellow Kòmò society member, known as the “Mouth of the Beast,” serves as a bard who translates the strange words and sounds into songs. Only initiated male members of a community may view the Warakun; women and children are required to remain behind closed doors when the mask is performed. The formidable Kòmò mask is danced at night, preferably by firelight. A voluminous masquerade costume concealing powerful amulets and covered by the feathers of predator birds, such as vultures, complements the Warakun mask. The acrobatic dancer increases its dramatic impact when he changes his form; he contorts his body and pushes the mask on a stick high in the air. WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE THIS? The Warakun combines elements of the bush or wilderness: birds (feathers), mammals (horns, hair, and quills), and reptiles (the crocodile form). Alternatively, the form has been described as being that of a hyena, a scavenger active at night. Regularly scheduled Kòmò society meetings provide opportunities for members to increase the power of a Warakun. Notice the surface and thick patina, resulting from sacrificial materials poured over the headdress over time. The powerful mask allows society members to harness nyama, the energy that activates the universe. _________________________________________________________________________ Typical of the Mande association masks, the sacrificial material seen in the encrustation on the surfaces of this headdress (also known as a helmet mask) is an indication of its connection with one of the three main Bamana power societies: Komo, Kono and Nama. This specific headdress is typical of the Komo society, which functions as the custodian of tradition and is concerned with all aspects of community life - agriculture, judicial processes, and passage rites. The Bamana, an ethnolinguistic group of the upper Niger region of Mali, are distinguished by their indigenous method of writing and a remarkable system of metaphysics and cosmology, encompassing associated societies, prayers, myths, and rituals. The Komo is a secret power association of priests, knowledgeable elders, and blacksmiths that forms the central Bamana social institution. Members of the blacksmith clan are born into the Komo society because of their ability to employ the forbidden power of fire to transform matter from one form into another. Its masks and headdresses are of elongated animal form decorated with actual antelope horns, porcupine quills, bird skulls, and other objects as vessels of power. Blacksmiths of the Komo society wear the society headdress or komo-kun during a dance to invoke nyama, the force that activates the universe. (From “A Handbook of the Collection: Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art," 1998)
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