African Arts Gallery

The Kanaga mask, initially protecting hunters from the vengeance of the prey it slew, invariably adopts the following structure: a central vertical board with "double arms" firmly attached by leather straps, and whose ends are directed up and down. Dry, matte surface, erosions.
As a preliminary to the funeral or during the end of mourning, many copies, almost all identical, appear on the dance floor, after circulating in the alleys of the village. Depending on the degree of initiation, this mask will not have the same meaning when it comes out during the mourning ceremony or during more festive exhibitions. He will be the Komolo bird, or, for the initiate, the Creator indicating heaven and earth with a gesture. The wearers of this mask adopt an impressive choreographic gesture symbolizing the union of the visible and invisible worlds.