TOMA LANDAI MASKS, Guinea

TOMA
Mask 20
26" high
$1000
  

TOMA
Mask 2
56" high
$800
 

 TOMA
Mask 6
53" high
$1000

TOMA
Mask 4
36" high
$600


TOMA
Mask 7
27" high
$600
 

TOMA
Mask 9
48" high
$700
 

TOMA
Mask 10
20.5" high
$400

 TOMA
Mask 12
21" high
$300


TOMA
Mask 14
28" high
$400

TOMA
Mask 18
18.5" high
$400
 

 TOMA
Mask 21
20.5" high
$300


TOMA
Mask 22
19" high
$350

 TOMA
Mask 5
25" high
$400
 

 TOMA
Mask 25
50" high
$800
 



The masks below have been sold and are left here for educational and research purposes.

TOMA
Mask 28
20" high
SOLD

TOMA
Mask 27
15.5" high
SOLD

 TOMA
Mask11
17.5" high
SOLD

 

TOMA
Mask 13
28" high
SOLD

Photographs © Tim Hamill

TOMA, LANDAI MASKS, Guinea

These brooding, often quite large, masks represent a forest spirit, Landai. Masks like these were used by the men's Poro Society to initiate boys into manhood. The masks, in what was often a frightening ritual for the boys, would symbolically swallow the boy, who would then re-emerge as a man. The masks were worn with a large raffia costume. Most have a flat face, the traditional beaked nose, jaws of teeth, protruding brow and horns.

Despite their appearance these Toma masks show no evidence of age or use and were probably made to be sold.

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