Mask "okuyi" · Gabon, Tsogho · ID: 3040522
Description
wood, kaolin, black and red paint, arching brows, full red lips, raised scarification marks on forehead and temples, hairdo with voluminous central crest and flat lobes on both sides, min. dam., fine cracks, slight traces of abrasion, base;
“okuyi” masks represent female entities from the spirit world, fantastical beings who intervene in the villages on important collective occasions. Masked dancers standing on stilts would confront each other in “jousts”. Each dancer would be assisted by a team, whose purpose is to help him perform his competition with an acrobatic feat. The best dancer in the eyes of public would win the match.
Comparing literature
Perrois, Louis, Art ancestral du Gabon dans les collections du Musée Barbier-Mueller, Genève o.J., p. 101, ill. 54