A late version of the Okukwe, this African mask has large protruding eyes contrasting with a reduced mouth surrounded by a wide dark band. This is a judicial mask from Okukwé society, worn on the occasion of funerals, the birth of twins, or other major events. Abraded patina. Cracks, erosions. The Galoa (or Galwa), a Pounou subgroup, live downstream from Lambarene on the Ogooué River, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. They are called "people of the lake". They produced masks called Okouyi, Okukwé, used by initiation societies to reveal witchcraft and its authors through divination. Several neighboring ethnic groups, including the Adouma and the Kota, use flat areas of contrasting colors in Gabon, including kaolin supposed to have apotropaic properties. The groups of Gabon practice the cult of the bwiti, worship of the ancestors, and their relics are surmounted by a sculpture acting as a watchman. "The soul of Africa" S. Diakonoff; "Black African Tribal Art" ed. Assouline; "Masks of Gabon" ed. Wakes.
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