Production
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when
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20th century
sejen | Photographer: Axel Killian | Rights management: Städtische Museen Freiburg
Attribution - NonCommercial - ShareAlike 4.0 InternationalThe headdress represents a ground hornbill. It is dark brown and stands upright. The wings protrude like sails on either side. There are two rectangular holes in each wing. The mask comes from the village of Gbon.The swollen belly and the long beak of the hornbill symbolise the female and male power of reproduction. As a sign of fertility, the ground hornbill adorns many carvings of the Senufo, such as this headdress, which is worn during initiation into the Poro men's secret society.