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Additional Information: A wonderful brightly painted headpiece in the form of a large fish with articulating fins! This important piece was part of a masquerade centered in the region around the Bamana city of Segou or the Bozo area of Mopti. A slight upward angle on the front gives the appearance that the fish is actually swimming! A unique and beautiful twist on the legendary fish puppet from the Bozo people. It would add a powerful sculpture to any collection. Bozo headpieces are used and performed by young men of the region during the Sogo ba masquerade. Dance troops of young men, members of local youth groups, sing, dance, drum, manipulate puppets or dance masks in creating performances called Sogo Ba. Though considered to be a form of entertainment the performances are directed towards a description of the moral universe and the imperfection of humans and the need to educate people as regards ethical behavior and how to attain a religious way of life and how to maintain social and familial stability. Performances include religion, history, observations of local contemporary political events, satire of behavior and simple entertainment through the music and dance. The headpiece is a complex carving with a number of motifs presented and emphasized through the use of bright colors and expressive sculpting of the facial features and metal decorative pieces. The surface has probably been repainted a number of times and reflects the age and long use of this mask by the Bozo.
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Africa Direct, Inc. has been selling on eBay since 1997 and has received more than 51,000 positive feedbacks. It is owned by Eliza and Sara, who began the company after spending a year wandering southern Africa in a camper van with their multi-racial family. They have been honored with eBay's Hall of Fame award, and by eBay Giving Works, through which they have raised more than $125,000 in charity auctions. Customer Service: We treasure our many long term customers, and will try to make you one of them! If you have problems, please tell us... we care! Handling Time: We ship daily except Sundays and holidays. Most orders go out the same day, and all go out within 48 hours. Returns: We want you to be happy with your purchase. You're welcome to return an item within 30 days in the same condition you received it--just let us know you're returning it. You may have either a credit or a refund for your purchase price, not including shipping both ways. If your original payment was made through PayPal, we'll refund you through PayPal; if you paid us directly with your credit card, we'll refund the credit card. Combining Shipping: You are welcome to wait to pay, and to combine multiple items for shipping. We ask that you keep each order to 10 days or 10 items, whichever comes first--then start another order. When you're ready, just send us a list of item numbers or an invoice request and we'll send you an invoice. You can pay by Paypal or credit card. U.S. Shipping: We use a professional shipper who has worked with us for ten years. He and his staff take great care in packing our artwork, much of which is antique, irregularly-shaped, and fragile. The cost of his labor and the special packing materials he uses is reflected in our handling price. Our U.S. shipping charges also include insurance; we self-insure on smaller orders. For these reasons, our shipping and handling charges may be more than the price of postage. International Shipping: We ship dozens of international orders each week, to customers on every continent except Antarctica! The shipping charges included in our listings are for U.S. orders. Contact us for shipping charges to your country. We offer uninsured USPS First Class airmail, insured Priority airmail, and insured Express airmail to most parts of the world, depending on the weight, volume, and value of an item. We also ship via FedEx or DHL on request. Import duties, taxes, and charges are NOT INCLUDED in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer's responsibility. Please check with your country's customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding / buying. These charges are normally collected by the delivering freight (shipping) company or when you pick the item up -- do not confuse them for additional shipping charges. And please do not ask us to mark merchandise values below the actual value or mark items as "gifts"--U.S. and International government regulations prohibit such behavior. Newsletter, previews and special offers: Sign up for our newsletter |