Framed Mafo embroidered Leopard skin, 'guop n'gui koko'. Bamileke People.

Framed Mafo embroidered Leopard skin, 'guop n'gui koko'. Bamileke People, Bafoussam area, Cameroon.

The panther skin is fully adorned with an intricate beaded design, rendering the feline in a highly stylized form. Its round head, fierce expression, wide-open eyes, and triangular whiskers are highlighted, while swirling motifs around the skin rhythmically suggest the power of claws. The polychrome beads—blue, white, red, and black glass—add considerable depth and richness to the overall appearance. Harter (1986: 126) notes that beaded leopard skins, or guop n'gui koko (Bafoussam), are rare, unlike other beaded objects. Perrois and Notué (1997: 86–87) emphasize the royal significance of the panther skin, whether beaded or not. It serves multiple ceremonial roles: as a dance ornament, a footrest for the fon (king), a surface for placing certain royal objects, and a key element in various rituals. Typically, it is described as a royal cape, worn by queens during dances of warrior societies. For a comparable example of a beaded panther skin cape, see Harter (ibid.: 38), which belonged to the mafo (queen) of Mbialeu and shares a similarly elaborate decoration.