Tyéblenke mask.

Tyéblenke mask. Bambara, Mali, mid-twentieth century.
Carved and polychrome wood. With eyebrows and beard hair.
Measurements: 32 cm (face without beard); 41 cm (face with beard).
The presented mask belongs to the initiation society called Tyéblenko, which groups children between three and six years old. This society has as its patron the ancestor of the dwarves, Bassi the red, called Tyé Kúrobani "the little very red man", in whose name annual rites are celebrated. The Bassi is the dwarf driver of the big game animals, mainly the big antelopes, and is the object of an ancestor cult, especially among the hunters who, both among the Bambara and the Malinké, claim the paternity of the invention of the masks. Thus, the mask presented here follows the basic guidelines of the "Tyéblenke" type. It has an elongated face with schematic features, with large almond-shaped eyes and a large nose that acts as the vertical axis of the face. The mouth, of small dimensions, is kept closed. The mask is made of carved wood, and has hair ornamentation on both the eyebrows and the beard, thus increasing the realistic character and uniqueness of the piece.
The Bambara are an ethnic group belonging to the Mandé people and settled mainly in Mali, although there are also populations in Guinea, Burkina Faso and Senegal. Although today they are mainly Muslims, the Bambara still practice their ancient rituals, especially those performed in honor of their ancestors.