Mask "okuyi" · Gabon, Punu · ID: 3036918
not available anymore
Size
H: 24 cm
H: 9.4 inch
Description
light brown wood, kaolin, red and dark paint, headcrest with reptile, rep. (breakage at the head of the reptile), cracks, traces of abrasion, base;
variation of the “white masks of the Ogowe”. Originally used at funerary ceremonies, embodying male and female ancestors. The mask dancers wore costumes of raffia or cotton weave, while walking on high stilts and threatening the audience with wild screams.