Female face mask "okuyi"

Description

wood, kaolin, inventory no. in black letters on white background “AJP 1158”

This mask is a variant of the so-called “White Masks of Ogooué” and depicts an idealised female face. The face is traditionally coloured with white clay “pemba”. They were believed to represent female ancestors from the afterlife.

Such masks were worn by virtuosic male performers of a stilt dance, which involved towering impressively while executing complex choreography and astonishing feats of acrobatics.