Zigiren-wöndë (young bride) headdress
Among the Baga tributes to female power and beauty is zigiren-wöndë, who portrays an ideal spouse in the bloom of youthful motherhood. Her depiction features full breasts and lustrous black skin. Signs of her cultivated refinement include braided hair, markings under her eyes, rings around her neck, and brass adornments on her forehead, eyes, and between her breasts. Commissioned by community elders, this headdress was performed by young men at initiations and wakes. On such occasions, a full-length costume of cloth and raffia affixed below the sculpture’s breasts concealed the dancer, who held the sculpture aloft by its legs. The brisk choreography involved swaying back and forth, darting left and right, and running in a circle to the sound of drums and iron gongs.
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