Bamana: the art of existence in Mali - exhibition preview - various artists, African art, Museum for African Art, New York and Museum Rietberg, Zurich

African Arts, Winter, 2001 by Jean-Paul Colleyn, Laurie Ann Farrell

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The exhibition presents Ngon (monkey) masks, a selection of puppets, and photographs of performances. The visitor may also watch a puppet performance on large-screen video monitors. The footage includes the audience's reactions and interactions during the entertainment.

The Sacred and the Secret

Bamana jow have a tremendous importance in social and religious life. The exhibitions in both New York and Zurich explore the role of these initiation societies (some authors have called them brotherhoods) through a wide range of objects used in their rituals, including wooden masks, iron staffs, and power altars. In jow like Komo, Kono, Nama, and Ci-wara, among others, one gains access to secret knowledge by traveling and working for a reputed master (soma). Some villages may not have even a single jo, while in many others several societies may coexist and compete with one another.

Although jow are considered men's organizations, (4) in numerous cases women may make offerings to and even seek help from one of the jo deities. Furthermore, each jo has one female official who may perform important ritual functions, though she is not supposed to know the society's secrets. Bamana rely on their jow for social interaction and as a means to address such problems as sickness, misfortune, and mystical aggression. While these societies are influential in political and judicial matters, today most of their power is overshadowed by state institutions and Islam.

The Jo Society

The Jo (a specific society, not to be confused with the generic name for these organizations) has become a sort of framework for other initiation societies, like Ci-wara, Namakoro, and Nya. Until a few decades ago, initiation was obligatory for every young male. (5) As with the Kore, Jo initiations take place every seven years, after candidates receive six years of special training. During this time, the young men go through a ritual death and live one week in the bush before returning to the village. There they publicly perform the dances and songs they have learned in the bush, and receive small presents from spectators. After a ritual bath that signals the end of their animal life, the new initiates become "Jo children."

Among the sculptures in the exhibitions are those called Jomooni (small person of the Jo) and Jonyeleni (small, beautiful young lady of the Jo). Representing beautiful young women, they often display decorative motifs on the face and body that were fashionable as scarifications before 1930 (Figs. 13, 14), and some are dressed and decorated with jewelry. Numerous washings and applications of oil have imparted a lustrous black color to some of these sculptures. This section also exhibits crest masks and musical instruments used during Jo rituals.

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The Ntomo and Kore Societies

Ntomo and Kore societies exist throughout the Niger Valley. (6) Initially Ntomo, which leads to Kore, was a society for uncircumcised boys. Today it closely resembles various Western associations in its bureaucratic structure and its administrative and membership fees. The exhibitions feature Ntomo masks whose thin mouths underscore the virtue of silence and the importance of controlling one's speech (Figs. 15, 16, 17). In general, during their time in Ntomo the boys learn to accept discipline. They do not yet have access to the secret knowledge related to Kore and other initiation societies.