Research Catalog

The wild bull and the sacred forest : form, meaning, and change in senegambian initiation masks

Title
The wild bull and the sacred forest : form, meaning, and change in senegambian initiation masks / Peter Mark.
Author
Mark, Peter, 1948-
Publication
Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 1992.

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StatusFormatAccessCall NumberItem Location
TextUse in library DT549.45.D56 M38 1992Off-site

Details

Description
xv, 170 pages : illustrations; 26 cm
Summary
The vibrant culture of the Jola people of Senegal's Casamance region is epitomized by the colorful rituals of the male initiation ceremony, which occurs once in a generation. In The Wild Bull and the Sacred Forest: Form, Meaning, and Change in Senegambian Initiation Masks, Dr. Peter Mark makes an in-depth examination of the masks worn by a select few initiates in this ritual, which illuminates Jola culture and its underlying religious and social structures. Based on research gathered from numerous field trips to West Africa and unpublished archival materials, Dr. Mark presents a subtle interpretation of horned masquerades, their complex symbolism, and the metaphysical concepts to which they allude. In tracing the cultural interaction and changing identity of the people of the Casamance, he convincingly demonstrates a new and dynamic approach to the study of art and ethnic identity, which is viewed as a continuous process rather than a fixed entity. Integrating art historical and anthropological methods, The Wild Bull and the Sacred Forest provides a detailed and innovative view of a Senegalese culture as it has evolved over two centuries.
Subject
  • Diola (African people) > Rites and ceremonies
  • Masks > Senegal
  • Initiation rites > Senegal
  • Masks > Gambia
  • Initiation rites > Gambia
  • Initiation rites
  • Masks
  • Diola
  • Initiation
  • Maske
  • Ritual
  • Jola (volk)
  • Initiatie
  • Maskers
  • Sacrifice d'animaux > Sénégambie
  • Esclavage > Sénégambie
  • Sorcellerie > Sénégambie
  • Sculpture > Sénégambie
  • Diola (peuple d'Afrique) > Identité collective
  • Diola (peuple d'Afrique) > Religion
  • Diola (peuple d'Afrique) > Masques
  • Diola (peuple d'Afrique) > Rites et cérémonies
  • Masques > Sénégal
  • Masques > Gambie
  • Rites d'initiation > Sénégal
  • Rites d'initiation > Gambie
  • Gambia
  • Senegal
  • Gambia
  • Senegal
  • Sénégal
  • Diola
Bibliography (note)
  • Includes bibliographical references (p. 161-166) and index.
Contents
Machine generated contents note: 1. Introduction: Method and Subject -- 2. Ethnographic Background -- 3. Bukut Initiation -- 4. History and Provenance of the Ejumba Mask -- 5. Iconography of the Horned Mask -- 6. Mandinka or Jola? Art and Culture as Regional Processes -- 7. Islam and Casamance Masking Traditions -- 8. Conclusion.
ISBN
  • 052141346X
  • 9780521413466
LCCN
91031932
OCLC
  • ocm24377690
  • 24377690
  • SCSB-1943411
Owning Institutions
Princeton University Library