Baga culture
(Guinea)
a’Tshol Head
19th
-
20th century
Wood, brass tacks, fiber, earth
23½ x 8⅜ x 31½ in
59.69 x 21.27 x 80.01 cm
From the Robert and Nancy Nooter Collection, Adolph D.
and Wilkins C.Williams Fund
2003.13
The Baga, who inhabit long stretches of Guinea’s Atlantic coastline, are noted for their dramatic sculptural works. The most ancient and important type of their ritual objects are angular heads, known as a’Tshol. Imbued with the power to guard the village, a’Tshol is a Baga word meaning medicine, signifying that the statues also viewed to have mystical healing powers.