Dance club "ebongo" ·  R. D. Congo, Kuyu · ID: 3036582

Description

wood, matt patina, remains of polychrome paint, head with flat facial features and scarification marks, crowned by a high coiffure, circular drillings backside, min. dam., fine cracks, small missing parts, slight traces of abrasion, base;
used for the so-called “kébé-kébé” snake dance, which finished the initiation of young boys.The head sculptures were attached to staffs, which the dancers held high above their heads. Their bodies were completely concealed by long costumes and the heads abundantly decorated with feathers.

Littérature comparée

Kerchache, Jacques & Jean-Louis Paudrat u.a., Die Kunst des Schwarzen Afrika, Freiburg, Basel, Wien 1988, p. 579