Mask "kifwebe", female type "kikashi"

Description

wood, kaolin, black paint, base

“Kifwebe” masks basically depict supernatural beings, such as ancestor spirits “katotoshi” visiting their descendants. They belong to an association which bears the same name, “bwadi ka bifwebe”. The mask type has various forms of appearancees depending on function and local origin. According to Mestach there are three classical types of “kifwebe” maks: the male type “kilume”, the female type “kikashi” and the most powerful of all, the “kifwebe kia ndoshi”, charged with magical loading.

The masks are used on different occasions: during initiation procedures, to celebrate seasonal events (such as new moon, seeding of crops, first rain), to enforce social control, to educate in stage plays depicting the social do’s and don’ts, to honour the deceased at funerary ceremonies.

Publications

AHDRC: 0153782