The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of December 17, 2025

Helmet Mask (tönköngba or tabakän)

early 1900s

Africa, West Africa, Guinea, possibly Landuma-style carver

Wood and natural fibers
Overall: 76.2 cm (30 in.)
Gift of Katherine C. White 1969.3
Location: 108A African

Did You Know?

When worn, this mask lies nearly flat across the head.

Description

It seems that this type of object--once used among various peoples in the region--could have served both as a shrine and as a dance headdress. It would only have been part of a dance when a sacrifice to the ancestors was needed, at a funeral, or during a male initiation. Despite obvious animal references, the type represents an invented composite being that some described as a creature of the sea.
  • Katherine White Reswick
  • Petridis, Constantijn. South of the Sahara: selected works of African art. Cleveland: Cleveland Museum of Art, 2003. Reproduced: cat. 5, p. 40 - 41
    Robbins, Warren M. African Art in American Collections = L'art Africain Dans Les Collections Americaines. New York: F.A. Praeger, 1966. Reproduced: p. 71, no. 50
    Robbins, Warren M. African sculpture. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Pub, 2005. Reproduced: p. 71, no. 50
    Curtis, Marie Yvonne. Baga. Milan, Italy : 5 Continents Editions, 2018. Reproduced: p. 91, pl. 25; mentioned: pp. 46, 125
  • Year in Review: 1969. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 27-February 22, 1970).
    CMA 1970: "Year in Review 1969," CMA Bulletin LVII Jan., 1970), p. 47, no. 127, repr. p. 38.
    CMA 1968: "African Tribal Images: The Katherine White Reswick Collection," cat. no. 45, repr.
  • {{cite web|title=Helmet Mask (tönköngba or tabakän)|url=false|author=|year=early 1900s|access-date=17 December 2025|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1969.3