Poro Society Mask (gela)

Artist Bassa artist

Date1930s–1940s

MediumWood

Dimensionsheight, width, and depth: 8 × 5 × 3 7/8 in. (20.3 × 12.7 × 9.8 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineGift of Mr. and Mrs. Mace Neufeld

Object numberG.74.22.4

On View

Not on view

Label TextBassa communities have a single type of masked performer known as Gela ("big spirit"), who entertains on various festive occasions. Its performance consists of an exceptionally smooth, gliding dance to the music of slit drums. The graceful, floating movements of the dance and the features of the mask are considered to be feminine in character, although the spirit that the masquerade embodies has no gender.

Related miniature masks (ma go:, meaning small head), commonly known as “passport masks,” fulfill a variety of functions and look distinctly like the larger versions performed in masquerades. Anyone who has a spiritual connection with or whose family owns an important mask is entitled to commission a miniature.

Mirroring the impressive reach of the powerful men’s Poro society, miniature and "family" masks as well as their larger counterparts are made by several neighboring groups that span across Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.Published ReferencesNorth Carolina Museum of Art Bulletin 13, nos. 1 and 2 (1975), cat. no. 118.
Exhibition HistoryRaleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, “Recent Acquisitions,” November 23, 1975-February 1, 1976.

Raleigh, NC, North Carolina Museum of Art, "The People's Collection, Reimagined," October 7, 2022–September 21, 2023. Object Rights Statement

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