Small mask
D. R. Congo, Ding
sold
EUR 1,500
Size
H: 13,5 cm
H: 5.3 inch
Description
hammer-wrought copper sheet, slit eyes and mouth, punched emblems in shape of rosettes on forehead and cheeks, min. dam., traces of corrosion.
The masks called “ngongo munene”, “chief of the earth”, are used during the funerals of chiefs, the enthronement of a new chief and during the initiation of boys at the bush camps called “mukanda”. They are also manifestations of the agrarian village community “ekuluwanda”, designed for use in social and economical issues.
Because woman and children are not allowed to see the “ngongo munene” masks, they are kept by officials called “kfufutshi”, wrapped up in fabric and kept in a calabash stored in a small grass hut (“kaseke ya shifulumiko”), which was placed in a crotch.