Face mask "eluba" or "emangungu" · D. R. Congo, Bembe · ID: 3040449
not available anymore
Provenance
J. P. Lepage, Brussels, BelgiumHans Hess, Basel, Switzerland
Toni Dähler, Basel, Switzerland
Walter Glaser, Basel, Switzerland
Zemanek-Münster, Würzburg, 20 September 2003, lot 311
Size
H: 36 cm
H: 14.2 inch
Description
wood, polychrome paint, eye zone with sickle-shaped see slits accentuated by red and white pigment, small tubular mouth, rep. (crack), slight traces of abrasion;
present “emangungu” mask type is used at circumcision rites by the “butende bwa eluba” society. The eyes should remind on an owl, which is said to have close connections to the spirits of nature. The masks are attached to a costume of banana leaves and bark. They are worn by initiated boys while begging for food in the village during the seclusion period.
Comparing literature
Bamert, Arnold, Afrika, Olten 1980, p. 274 f.