Ex. French collection of African art. African masks Kwele have a heart-shaped face, almond-shaped eyes and a small triangular nose. Often absent, the mouth here draws a fine incision accentuating the softness of the physiognomy. Depending on the presence of horns and their arrangement, the masks are called pipibudzé, Ekuku zokou, etc...and are associated with ancestors or forest spirits, "ekuk". Matte patina abraded, chips. A tribe of the Kota group, the Kwélé, Bakwélé, live in the forest on the northern border of the Republic of Congo. They live from hunting, agriculture and metallurgy. Practicing the cult called Bwété borrowed from the Ngwyes, which was accompanied by obligatory initiation rites, they used at the end of the ceremonies the ekuk masks evoking the antelope whose horns meet looped under the chin. The blood of the antelope was also used among the Kwélé for therapeutic purposes. They produce rare statues linked to the initiation rites of young people.
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