Superb Serpent Crest - Baga - Guinea-Bissau

Superb Baga Snake.
Serpentiform initiatory crest used mainly by the Bulongic (village of Kifinda) , Baga subgroup of the Guinean coast, its size can go up to 2. 50 m. These masks were divided into two groups bearing the names Mosolo kombo and Sangaran, each with specific functions.

Their design took shape in an esoteric context, at night in the heart of the forest. Privileges of initiated men, embodying a spiritual entity, Baga Sangaran masks were only present at circumcision, every 24 years. During certain dances the mask was placed on the head, held in balance by a bamboo structure and by the arms of the wearer himself covered with a cloth and a raffia loincloth. Among the Baga Koba, the mask was worn on the shoulder, without costume. In other groups, the mask appeared in different contexts.

The Baga live along the Atlantic coast of the Republic of Guinea, West Africa. They are one of the smallest ethnic groups in Guinea, and have lived relatively isolated from their neighbors due to the vast swamps that surround them.