BASSA , LIBERIA

Miniature masks are carved as stand-ins to embody tutelary spirits and testify to the presence of the spirit associated with a large masquerade. When a mask’s owner is travelling, the miniature mask serves as an important means of identification and authority outside his immediate community. It is this role that may have given these miniature masks the commonly used name of "passport mask."

In addition to being the property of one single individual, miniature masks may also play a communal role in secret societies. They are displayed at men’s society meetings for collective protection, used as sacred objects for swearing oaths, and can be shown to new initiates. Miniature masks are often attached to other powerful objects such as leather pouches or antelope horns filled with medicines. Miniature masks bear many names: the most common is ma go (small head), but depending on scholarship it has also been named yi luo po (thing which water is poured over), gba po (thing which is fed), or nyonkula (substitute for the ancestors). One of the most iconic among collectors is deangle (an attractive mask with slit eyes, which performs a feminine behavior), while the least common miniature forms are masks with tubular eyes and animal mouths. Rubbed with offerings of oil and food, they share the power and protective force of the full-sized masks they resemble. 

Anyone who has a spiritual connection with a mask, or whose family owns an important mask, is entitled to commission a miniature. Diviners can advise this for preventative, protective, or curative purposes. Interestingly, some scholars have stated that although women do not ordinarily have access to masks, those from families that have a strong connection to a specific mask may commission a miniature version as a means of retaining ties to their own family identity after they marry. This rare bronze mask with generous features, large chin, and layered coiffure bears resemblance to Bassa masks, with their heavy faces and ridged hairstyles.

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