Helmet mask "shitengamatu"

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Description

terracotta, blackened,

According to Paolo Israel, who has done intensive research on Makonde mask dances, clay masks were called “vitengamatu” (sing. “shitengamatu”), which literally means “open your ears”.

The masks were made by women and also worn by women. They were kept strictly secret and were not allowed to be seen by men. They were danced by women only once a year, at the final coming-out ceremonies (“nkamangu”) of feminine puberty rites.

“Vitengamatu” formed the female counterpart to the wooden “mapiko” masks for male initiation.

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Comparing literature

cf. AHDRC 0086415 Israel, Paolo, "In Step with the Times: Mapiko Masquerades of Mozambique", 2014, p. 185

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