Mourning face mask "okuyi" ·  Gabon, Masango · ID: 3041758

Description

wood, brown patina, red pigment, face characteristically whitened with “pemba” (kaolin), handwritten inscription on the backside “Masango 27”, slightly dam., insect caused missing parts backside at the rim, abrasion of paint;
belonging to the so-called “white-faced masks from the Ogue”. These masks represented female entities from the spirit world, fantastical beings who intervened in the villages on important collective occasions: bereavements, palavers, the birth of twins, times of epidemic, hunts for malevolent sorcerers, and so on. Masked dancers standing on stilts would confront each other in “jousts”. Each dancer would be assisted by a team, whose purpose was to help him perform his competition with an acrobatic feat. The best dancer in the eyes of public would win the match.

Publications

AHDRC: 0141989