Face mask "okuyi" or "mukuyi" · Gabon, Sango/Ndzebi · ID: 3033808
Eduardo Uhart, Paris, France
Description
wood, dark brown patina, red and black paint, remains of white pigment, which originally covered the whole face, circles around the eyes, a notched band across the chin, dam., minor missing parts, crack (at the back of the coiffure), paint rubbed off;
belonging to the so-called “white-faced masks of the Ogoue”. These masks represented female entities from the spirit world, fantastical beings who intervened in the villages on important collective occasions: bereavements, palavers, the birth of twins, times of epidemic, hunts for malevolent sorcerers, and so on. Masked dancers standing on stilts would confront each other in “jousts”. Each dancer would be assisted by a team, whose purpose was to help him perform his competition with an acrobatic feat. The best dancer in the eyes of public would win the match.
Comparing literature
Fagaly, William, Ancestors of Congo Square, New Orleans 2011, p. 278