African Arts Gallery

Atypical specimen of the African mask of the Bembe, used during the tribal ritual of the male society Kalunga, Alunga, appearing during the ceremonies of initiation and circumcision. Circular, with close concave globes, its forehead is incised with a triangular pattern. Small accidents.
The Bembe ethnic group is a Luba branch that left the Congo in the 18th century. Their society and artistic tendency are marked by the influence of their neighbors in the Lake Tanganyika region, the Lega, the Buyu, etc. Indeed, like the Lega, the Bembe had a bwami association responsible for initiation and structuring society, but whereas the bwami was exclusive to the Lega, other associations coexisted among the Bembe.