Young maiden spirit mask "mwana pwo" ·  D. R. Congo, Chokwe · ID: 3045755

Description

wood, red pigment, base

The “mwana pwo” - mask represents a female ancestor, but is danced exclusively by men. The mask appears at different ceremonial occasions, with the “mukanda” male initiation as its primary venue.

The carved scars below the eyes are particularly meaningful; they represent tears, “masoji”, that reflect the suffering mothers endure when their boys go into “mukanda” to become adults.

The object Young maiden spirit mask “mwana pwo” with the object ID 3045755 was last part of the auction 92nd Tribal Art Auction at June 29, 2019 on Zemanek-Münster Auction house. The object with the lot number 195 achieved a sales price of EUR 2,200.

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