Head post "kala di kakungu" ·  D. R. Congo, Nkanu · ID: 3042940

Description

wood, matt patina, polychrome paint, round post with chamfered upper end, painted with stylized face framed by ornaments, crowned by modelled head with prominent facial features and projecting headdress, min. dam., cracks, traces of abrasion, base.
The posts “makala ma nkanda” are carved with the same facial characteristics as the four most important initiation masks of the Nkanu: “nkoso”, “kisokolo”, “makemba” and “kakungu”. The posts, like the masks, protect the initiates’ fertility and combat the malevolent intentions of others. Present post, “kala di kakungu”, announces the “nkanda” is in process and warns off women, sorcerers and the uninitated. It is positioned on the main road leading from the “nkanda” enclosure to the village.

Comparing literature

van Damme, Annemieke, Spectacular Display, New York 2001, p. 86 f.