Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Mali

Senufo

Wood, horn, cowrie shells, polychrome
Mid 20th century
Length: 36.5 in; Width: 10 in; Depth: 22 in
Other – Regalia – Headdress

This zoomorphic helmet headdress is known as a ‘firespitter,’ and is called kponyungo by its ethnic group, the Senufo.  The wearer places dried grasses and glowing chips of wood in the mouth and blows on them, usually in nighttime performances when the effect is most dramatic. Kponyungo is the semi-public name (nyun-go means “head”; kpoo wii, high mid-tone, means “the dead one” and kpoo, high tone, means “to kill”). Thus, a broad translation of kponyungo is “funeral headdress.” This dome-shaped helmet with warthog tusks and antelope horns (representing a specific species, which accounts for stylistic differences), also supports chameleon figures on the crest. The headdress is worn during the Poro society funeral ceremonies of their deceased members to honor them as well as to evoke the terror of sorcery, conveying a kind of supernatural warfare it takes to protect the community from ill-intentioned people.