African Arts Gallery

Belgian collection of African art. Handled during rituals, or worn as an amulet, this ancient African Lega mask accompanied by feline fur indicated the stage that its holder had reached within the Bwami, a learning society composed of different grades. Height on base: 24 cm. Within the Lega, the Bwami society open to men and women, organized social and political life. There were up to seven levels of initiation, each associated with emblems. Following Social recognition and authority also had to be earned individually: the chief owed his selection to his heart (mutima), a good character, his intelligence, and irreproachable behavior. During ritual ceremonies, the Idumu masks, collectively owned, were presented to the initiates placed on a barrier and surrounded by individual masks of a smaller format. The passage of a grade indicated the acquisition of a certain wisdom and individual morality.