The Senufo are part of the larger Mande cultural sphere which originated in the Upper Niger region and is linked to the expansion of the Malian empire in the 13th and 14th century. There has always been a long history of contact, cultural exchange and borrowing between Mande and Senufo peoples. As Glaze remarks, the historical impact of the Malinke and Diula on the Central Senufo culture history goes back to at least the 13th-14th century and the ancient Mande trade routes to the south for kola and gold in exchange for salt and cloth. In the realm of art styles, zoomorphic helmets mask among the Senufo were probably introduced into Senufo culture as part of the secret societies such as the Komo of the Bamana and their cults linked with Mande blacksmiths. Provenance: old German collection