Mask "idimu" ·  D. R. Congo, Lega · ID: 3033400

Description

wood, middle brown patina, circles with central drilling on the forehead, mouth with notched rim, pierced around the rim, fissures, on metal base;
Lega masks fall into the category of “bwami” initiation objects. There are five different types: “lukwakongo”, “kayamba”, “idimu”, “muminia”, and “lukungu”. They serve as important marks of rank, identifying the owners as members of specific “bwami” levels. The “idimu” mask is owned collectively and is kept by an appropriate member of “yananio” or “kindi”. In a major performance, the “idimu” mask is hung from a fence surrounded by the smaller, individually owned “lukwakongo” masks.

Comparing literature

Biebuyck, Daniel P., Lega, Brüssel 2002, p. 78, ill. 24