Baga peoples; Guinea H. 46 1/2 in. (118.1 cm) The Michael C.
Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A.
Rockefeller, 1979 (1979.206.17) This colossal wooden headdress,
measuring nearly four feet in height, is known as D'mba among
the Baga peoples of the Guinea coast. D'mba's flat, pendant
breasts are a symbol of motherhood and reveal the selfless
dedication with which she has nursed numerous children to
adulthood. Her coiffure consists of intricately braided rows of
hair and a high crest down the center. This hairstyle is not a
characteristic of the Baga, but rather one of the Fulbe people,
who inhabit the Futa Jallon mountains, where the Baga ancestors
once lived. The coiffure serves as a reminder to the Baga of
their origins in the Futa Jallon. The face, neck, and breasts of
the bust are decorated with linear patterns: a horizontal line
from the cheek to the ear, a curved line from the ear along the
jawline, a line connecting these two lines, all ending at a
circular line that surrounds the entir