Rare masque anthropozoomorphe ·  R. D. Congo, Sundi · ID: 3053481

Description

wood, pigments, base

This rare anthropo-zoomorphic mask originates from the Sundi (Tsundi), a subgroup of the Kongo peoples in what is now the western part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Similar masks were described as early as 1939 by the missionary and ethnographer Leo Bittremieux and were closely associated with the exclusive mask and dance society known as the “ndunga”, membership of which was reserved for dignitaries. The masks, generally referred to as “matombula”, appeared in ceremonial performances, particularly at the funerals of high-ranking figures and at other socially significant occasions.

The dancers appeared in elaborate costumes made of banana leaves and plant fibres and carried various attributes such as swords, fronds or bells. The performances were accompanied by drums and double bells. Historical sources report a multitude of different mask characters, including horned specimens associated with mythological or animal beings. The combination of human and animal features points to the symbolic significance of these masks within the Sundi’s ritual worldview.

Masks of this type are now among the rare surviving examples of the traditional art of the Sundi. Recent field research suggests that the corresponding mask dances are no longer performed in their original cultural context. Old surviving examples therefore not only possess high aesthetic quality but also represent significant documents of a largely vanished ceremonial tradition.

Littérature comparée

The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and Tribal Arts, Congo Masks, New Haven, London, Hong Kong, 2018, p. 86 f.