African Arts Gallery

This flat mask, on which the forehead and the nose are barely marked in relief, was collected in 1951 by the expert Claude Vérité who attributed it to the Lega.
Uneven eroded surface, kaolin residue.
Height on base: 51 cm.
Not worn but manipulated during rituals, this African mask Lega indicated the stage that its holder had reached within the Bwami, society of apprenticeship composed of different grades, and joined by wives whose spouse had reached the third level, that of ngandu. Within the Léga, the Bwami society, open to men and women, organized social and political life. Social recognition and authority had to be earned individually: the chief owed his selection to his heart (mutima), good character, intelligence, and impeccable behavior. During ritual ceremonies, the Idumu masks, of collective property, were presented to the initiates placed on a barrier and surrounded by individual masks of smaller format. The passage of a rank indicated the acquisition of a certain individual wisdom and morality.