Wabelé Waniugo mask

I.- Wabelé masks : They comprise five types of masks.

1.- The Kponiugo or Waniugo group.

Waniugo or Kponiugo masks belong to the Wabelé group, which comprises five types of masks. They are large, very thick masks combining the attributes of several animals: a huge mouth with large teeth representing the crocodile; large horns, which may be those of buffalo or antelope; and warthog tusks, the warthog being an African wild boar.

Between the two large horns is a representation of a chameleon or hornbill. The hornbill represents the Senufo people and is associated with the cult of fertility. The chameleon would indicate a cult of the primordial Universe and would be the first being created by God. All Senufo creations allude to their totemic animals. Their primordial animals are constantly represented: the chameleon, tortoise, python and hornbill, their great bird. “Waniugo” represents the head of Poro, combining the strength of the buffalo, the wisdom of the antelope, the impetuosity of the warthog, and the aggressiveness and power of the crocodile.

Wanyugo masks are worn during the funeral ceremonies of the Poro initiation society to enable the deceased to enter the realm of spirits. Their function is to protect the village from malevolent spirits and sorcery, and to preserve the community from misfortune and disease. Originating in the ‘sacred forest’, a sanctuary of the ancestors and forest spirits, this mask was always worn by an initiate, a member of the village’s secret society. The Poro, a very powerful secret society for male initiation whose dignitaries speak a secret language, plays an essential role in community life. It forges bonds of brotherhood and mutual assistance between members of the same age group and rank. Its Waniugo masks never appear alone, but always in groups of at least ten. White spots are painted on the masks with kaolin, signifying that the ritual has been placed under the sign of the panther. The Waniugo mask itself symbolises the Universe at its origins, created by the divine architect, or Kulotiolo. All animals are represented in this Universe, and the panther occupies a pre-eminent place.

The large mask has a small cup that the Senufo call ‘wa’. This cup contains a magical substance that can keep witches and sorcerers away from the village and allows the masks to appear under the proper conditions.

In some regions, double-faced Waniugo masks are found. In this case, the mask has no buffalo horns. It often bears a sinuous line carved in relief, the symbol of the great Seba python. This alludes to fertilising water, a source of life.

The Waniugo mask is endowed with superhuman powers. Informants say that it can sit on a brazier without harm, leap onto a house roof in a single bound, or make a sorceress burn without burning her hut.

This double mask is a fire-spitting mask. When the masks appear at night, they spit fire: a small saucer of embers is placed in the lower jaw, with pieces of tinder on which the wearer blows as they begin to burn. This gives the impression that the mask spits fire, an effect heightened by the performance taking place at night. If an uninitiated person or a woman sees these masks, they are sentenced to pay a substantial fine.