This is a marionette puppet head made by the Bamana tribal people of Mali, Africa which was used in masquerade performances. This Bamana puppet head is made of wood and represents an antelope. This Bamana bush animal puppet head was used during the Sogo bo 'animal outings' performances. The purpose of these Sogo bo festivals is to enact myths, legends, honor ancestors, as well as speak to the new things in the world affecting the tribe.

This antique Bamana antelope head Sogo bo puppet measures 33.50 inches long from the tip of the nose to the tip of the longest antler horn and the widest area across measures 5.28 inches. This antelope sculpture weighs 2 pounds and 6 ounces. This antique Bamana puppet head is in great rustic tribally used condition with surface patina and wear to the paint which is chipping in many places but this is interesting as it shows layers of different colors of paint as this piece seems to have been repainted a few times. There is some very old bug damage which is no longer active - mostly to the stick attached to the head which is now pretty hollow. There is a small missing section of wood on the back of the head between the ears behind where the carry stick attaches and also a missing area of wood to the front of the face which includes the nose and the top and bottom lip. Also, the few metal nails used are rusty.

Puppet theater has been and still is an important part of Mali culture and tradition. Twice a year the Bozo, Somono, Marka and Bambara tribes of Mali participate in an age old tradition of Sogo bo performances. Sogo bo which is the puppet masquerade enactment performed by the Bamana people of Mali is typically an exploration of the morals of everyday tribal living. The relationship between men and women and the problems of polygamous households are important topics of Sogo bo performances. Malian puppetry features many bush animals and maaniw "little people" or wooden puppets in human form. Maaniw play an important role in initiation ceremonies and often appear at nighttime performances which last all night and take place on kalakas which are small movable stages which conceal the puppet masters.The youth in the villages are responsible for performing the masquerades which they base on the information they learn from the elders instructing them. Both masks and marionette figure puppets are used along with dances, drumming, and songs. I combine shipping on multiple buys so check out my ebay store where I have thousands of item to browse through. For buyers of multiple items please email me when you are done shopping for your custom made invoice with combined shipping & insurance fees.