Body mask "ndimu" · Tanzania, Makonde · ID: 3034322
sold
EUR 1,800
Size
H: 48 cm
H: 18.9 inch
Description
wood, brown and black paint, accentuated navel, pierced around the rim, min. dam., slight traces of abrasion, metal socle;
the female body mask was used at initiation rites. It was part of the costume of a “ndimu” mask dancer, called “amwalin-dembo”, depicting a pregnant woman. It was always worn by a male dancer and was supplemented by a face mask. The dance demonstrated the pain of giving birth.
Comparing literature
Phillips, Tom (Hg.), Afrika, Die Kunst eines Kontinents, Berlin 1996, p. 175