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italiano
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L. Pescador, 1995 |
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The large, terrifying mask representing the spirit dandai, or landai, is also closely associated with the initiation customs of the Poro. The masked spirit symbolically "devours" uncircumcised young men, or bilakorò, reviving them thereupon as initiates. This zoomorphic mask resembles a crocodile, with its prominent forehead and long articulated jaws fraught with sharp fangs. Monkey hair adorns the mask’s jaw-line, and the costume, made of long fibres, is covered with a drape.
Commonly performing dances as a couple, the male and female bakarogi masks play not only a social role in Toma/Loma culture, but also represent the hierarchy and division of the sexes. The wooden female bakarogi mask is harmonious in its oval form. Beneath the rounded forehead, the eyes open in horizontal slits. The triangular mouth peaks slightly short of the delicate nostrils from which the high and pronounced cheekbones branch off. Deep, parallel incisions decorate the sides of the mask, and often the chin. Pieces of wrought iron are inserted at the crest of the forehead and also inside the mouth as teeth. Unlike other masks of the Toma/Loma, the features appear to have been acquired from analogous masks belonging to different populations, such as the Kpelle (Guerzé) and the Mano.
Not all male bakarogi, however, display the same workmanship. The Loma’s male bakarogi is similar to the female version, although depicting more brutish features: the dimensions of the mask are much larger, with only slightly accentuated cheekbones compared to those of the female mask. Diagonal scarification cuts across the cheeks, and prominent lips border the semi-opened arch-shaped mouth. On the contrary, the male bakarogi mask of the Toma resembles, albeit in a more subtle way, both the dandai and the angbai masks, with either tubular or metal eyes and highly pronounced cheekbones.
Despite not donning a mask, another equally fascinating costume is the feather-covered garb of the bird men, ouenilegagui, not to mention the intriguing costumes worn by the messengers, guelembai, with their thick mass of long plant fibers. The ouenilegagui dancers perform in pairs. Painted with kaolin, they position themselves facing one another and, their heads thrust backwards, engage in a frenetic on the spot jig. All their movements are coordinated and performed with amazing speed to the rhythm of a small wooden drum.
The guelembai on the other hand, as messengers of the Poro, appear silently in their bulky circular costumes made of long, black and gold plant fibers. A long white pole held by each messenger unites them in a row. Parts of the body uncovered by the costume are painted with kaolin. No drum music accompanies the apparition of the guelembai as they move swiftly, as if floating above the ground, in a stunning and magical exhibition. While the women and uninitiated men cower in fear, the guelembai disappear into the darkness of the forest without a sound.
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