Snake Headdress (a-Mantsho-ña-Tshol or Inap)

This snake headdress was worn in performances that required extraordinary strength and agility. With the headdress bound to a conical framework of palm branches, the male dancer balanced it on his head while performing sharp, quick movements. He dipped and rotated the sculpture by bending at the knees and turning at the waist. The snake is associated with the swamp-dwelling python spirit, who blesses humankind with rain, fertility, and wealth. Snake headdress performances were widespread until the mid-1950s, when Islamic revolutionaries led a campaign to consolidate the religious and national identity of the nascent Republic of Guinea.