Exhibition Guide
Great Mother Headdress (D’mba)
Audio
Looking at the "Great Mother"
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Audio
Dancing the D'mba
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Audio
A Conversation About the Tacks
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Art Object Info
D’mba represents a woman at the height of her power. She is confident and beautiful, elderly, and a mother. Her bold gaze, intricate hairstyle, and flattened breasts speak to these qualities. Neither spirit nor deity, she is a symbol of community identity, a sculptural ideal created to honor women, inspire girls, and reflect the belief that Baga culture was forged and sustained by mothers.
Here, D’mba appears as she would have during the community celebrations in which she danced. However, the raffia fiber skirt and cotton shawl are not original. BMA conservators fabricated these garments only recently.
Great Mother Headdress (D’mba)
D’mba represents a woman at the height of her power. She is confident and beautiful, elderly, and a mother. Her bold gaze, intricate hairstyle, and flattened breasts speak to these qualities. Neither spirit nor deity, she is a symbol of community identity, a sculptural ideal created to honor women, inspire girls, and reflect the belief that Baga culture was forged and sustained by mothers.
Here, D’mba appears as she would have during the community celebrations in which she danced. However, the raffia fiber skirt and cotton shawl are not original. BMA conservators fabricated these garments only recently.