Runner mask "mabu" ·  Cameroon Grassfields, Bamileke · ID: 3036815

Description

wood, black patina, min. dam., small missing parts (back), traces of insect caused damage and abrasion;
the “kwifon” association in each kingdom has a “runner” mask called “mabu”, that serves as “the voice” of “kwifon”. Members on their day- and nighttime missions are preceeded by this mask, which serves to announce “kwifon’s” approach and to correct improper behavior. In some Western Grassfield kingdoms of the past, “mabu” was also the mask of executioners.

Comparing literature

Roberts, Allen F., The shape of belief, San Francisco 1997, p. 70 Northern, Tamara, The Art of Cameroon, Washington D.C. 1984, p. 160