Mask, in Bana

The mask is made in wood, with beads and plaited hair. It is used for the dance of the Kounga, but it may be from a foreign origin.; The Kounga is a religious and magical society. Notables and fetishists are in it and the post is hereditary. People of this society are the Kounga'ze. They are the last people who have the power of the magic spells; they would have the power to plant a banana tree and to pick the fruits on the same day; fifteen days for the raffia which gives wine. They tighten creepers between trees to make spirits step back. They have to do magical incantations for protection of the crops, for the rain or the protection of the land; dances and fire to step back evil spells. The Koungas sometimes sing laments or indigenous proverbs or opinions. From 1945 to 1959, Daniel Broussous was the head doctor of the protestant hospital of Bangwa, set up by the Société des missions évangéliques de Paris (Paris evangelical mission society) in the south of the region Bamileke in 1935. Broussous took many photographs documenting the art, the architecture, the traditions and the daily-life of Bamileke chieftainships. He also made several films.