BAMANA, Mali. Hardwood, patina of use. Dance mask used during the Koré initiation period. In addition to its symbolic importance, the perfect articulation, rigorously structured and the incredibly fine decoration are particularly noteworthy. Height: 31 cm. Note: Every seven years, at the end of the dry season, "all the members of an age group are symbolically 'killed at the koré' in order to be resurrected as adults" (Colleyn, Bamana, 2009, p. 28).