Anthropomorphic mask "pwoom itok"

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Description

wood, pigments, feathers, old repair, base

This mask is known as “pwoom itok”, “ishendemala”, “ishyeenmaal” or “shene malula”. One encounters this type of mask among various Kuba groups, including the Bushoong and Ngeende.

What the “pwoom itok” mask represents remains a matter of some speculation, but it may have originally meant to depict a wise elder. The mask is used at the adult initiation rituals of boys.

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Comparing literature

Herreman, Frank & Constantijn Petridis (ed.), Face of the Spirits, Tervuren 1993, p. 138

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