Face mask (Suruku)

BRIEF DESCRIPTIONThe suruku mask represents a hyena. It is danced by members of one of the most junior levels of the prestigious Koré society.WHERE WAS IT MADE?This suruku mask was made in Mali, where the Bamana people live.HOW WAS IT MADE?It is the job of the blacksmith to carve items such as the suruku mask. Using an adze, blacksmiths carve masks from a single block of wood.HOW WAS IT USED?The hyena mask is danced by members of one of the most junior levels of the prestigious Koré society. The Koré society, an elite men’s association, has largely died out in Mali. A man could only join the society after having proved himself in several other associations such as the Komo and Ci Wara. Traditionally, the society provided adolescent boys an entry to adulthood. Every seven years, an initiation ritual occurred in which boys were symbolically killed and resuscitated after eschewing childhood and proving themselves as men. Before returning to the village, the boys were instructed in herbal medicine, sexuality, and their communal responsibilities. Young men performed the suruku mask after this period of seclusion from the village. During the performance, they stoop forward, supporting themselves on two short sticks and imitating the movements of the hyena.WHY DOES IT LOOK LIKE THIS?The suruku mask typically has a high, domed forehead, a long nose, tall pointed ears and a square or rectangular mouth. What attributes come to mind when you think about hyenas? Hyenas, with their crude, ugly features, oversized ears, and gluttonous disposition, signify to the Bamana all that is undesirable in respectable men. The hyena mask teaches by contrary example; this vulgar animal is the antithesis of civilized man.To see another suruku mask in the Johnson Museum’s collection, search for object number 89.015.010 in the keyword search box.