Helmet mask "bwoom" · D. R. Congo, Kuba · ID: 3034471
Lodewiijk Groenhuizen, Utrecht, The Netherlands (around 1970/71)
Dutch Private Collection, The Hague (since 1978)
Description
wood, dark brown patina, copper sheet, voluminous forms, abundantly decorated with polychrome glass beads and cowrie snails, coiffure and beard of plaited plant fibres and animal hair, min. dam., slight traces of insect caused damage, small missing parts, wooden socle;
as one of the three royal masks, “bwoom” belongs to the oldest mask types of the Kuba. Apart from funerals “bwoom” appears at several ceremonies, always changing his meaning according to the context he is used: during the initiation of the boys he represents the spirit “ngeesh”. Within the three royal masks he represents “bwoom”, an oppositional and unruly character fighting against his brother for his wife and sister “ngaady a mwaash” and for the leadership. The insurgent aspect of the “bwoom” mask figure is expressed by the aggressive dance style.
Comparing literature
Hahner-Herzog, Iris, Das Zweite Gesicht, Genf, München, New York 1997, ill. 83