Bamun elephant mask (Malentoun). Carved from wood and coated in a layer of brown clay. The mask is in the form of a round head with a long trunk that curls up to meet the face. It has two large round ears, and two tusks bound with natural material. There are two eyes carved into the face of the mask. There are small holes around the base of the mask. Two of these holes have string threaded through them and tied in a loop.
These objects are only a part of our collections, of which there are more than 350,000 objects. This information comes from our collections database. Some of this is incomplete and there may be errors. This part of the website is also still under construction, so there may be some fields repeated or incorrectly formatted information.
The database retains language taken from historical documents to help research. Please note that some records may feature language and reflect systems of thinking that are outdated and offensive. The database also includes information on objects that are considered secret or sacred by some communities.
If you have any further information about objects in our collections, can suggest corrections to our information or if you see content requiring immediate action, please contact us: enquiry@horniman.ac.uk
