Helmet mask "pwoom itok" ·  R. D. Congo, Kuba · ID: 3038779

Description

wood, black, white, red and yellow paint, camwood powder, characteristic hairdo, accurate painted ornaments on the cheeks, slightly dam. (eyes, nose, rim of the coiffure), cracks (left side of the head and backside), rep. backside at the nape (with grass fibre and mass), metal base;
as one of the three royal masks, “bwoom” belongs to the oldest mask types of the Kuba. Apart from funerals “bwoom” appears at several ceremonies, always changing his meaning according to the context he is used: during the initiation of the boys he represents the spirit “ngeesh”. Within the three royal masks he represents “bwoom”, an oppositional and unruly character fighting against his brother for his wife and sister “ngaady a mwaash” and for the leadership. The insurgent aspect of the “bwoom” mask figure is expressed by the aggressive dance style.