Mask "kifwebe" ·  R. D. Congo, Songye · ID: 3033260

Description

wood, black, white and red paint, of elongated narrow form, eyes and mouth widely projecting to the front, extensive disc-shaped forehead crest, covered with fine linear grooves, pierced around the rim, min. dam., fissures, slight traces of abrasion;
representing the male “kifwebe” type “kilume”. The “kifwebe” masks embody a spirit being and belong to an association which bears the same name “bwadi ka bifwebe”. The mask is supplemented by a plaited costume and a long beard of raffia fiber. It used to appear at various ceremonies, with the function of a security force or for warding off enemies in cases of war.

Littérature comparée

Hahner-Herzog, Iris, Das Zweite Gesicht, Genf, München, New York 1997, ill. 88