April 17, 2024
African Art - Songye Kifwebe Mask-Female- DRC - Congo - 20" Height x 12" Wide
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African Art - Songye Kifwebe Mask - DRC - Congo - 20" Height x 12" Wide Up for purchase is this mask that comes from the Songye people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is the most famous of the Songye masks. It is made of Wood, pigment, vegetal fibers, etc. It was made in the second half 20th Century. It's dimensions are 20" x 12" x 7". There are some scrapes, marks and a few visible repairs that have been made to the bottom portion of the mask. Looks like the same color pigment so I believe the repairs were made by the original tribe. The mask is still in very good condition. Additional Information: This mask was used by the Bwadi Bwa Kifwebe secret society for initiations, circumcisions, weddings and funerals. In the Songye language kifwebe means mask. This mask attributed also to the Baluba tribe has impressive shapes, the nose forming part of a crest like hairdo, enlarged eyelids a protruding boxlike mouth and lineal often in white and red, on the entire surface. It embodied supernatural forces. The kifwebe society used it to ward off disaster or any treat. These type of masks are worn at ceremonies honoring a dead chief, or at the installation of a new chief, and at the welcoming of important visitors in the village. These masks had the capacity to heal by means of the supernatural force it was supposed to incorporate.
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