African Arts Gallery

African mask of great sculptural quality, the features and volumes being modeled with precision and realism, giving rise to a delicate face of a very young woman. Smooth, reddish-brown patina. Edge erosions.
Height on base: 36 cm.
Of Lunda origin, the Lwena emigrated from Angola to Zaire in the 19th century, repelled by the Chokwe. When some became slave traders, other groups found refuge in Zambia, forming the Luvale, Lovale. Their society is matrilineal, exogamous and polygamous. The Lwena and the Luvale became known for their sculptures embodying the figures of deceased ancestors and chiefs, and their masks linked to the initiation rites of the mukanda, a secret association masculine that all these groups share on this same territory, with some variations however. Their sculpture was largely influenced by that of the Chokwe. The masks of the Chokwe, Luda, Luvale/Lwena, Luchazi and Mbunda clans are called "makishi" (sing. likishi) in Zambia. This name comes from "kishi", a Bantu concept that evokes the manifestation of a spirit or an ancestor. These agents of social, moral and spiritual order, forming a panel of different characters, sociable, aggressive, or unpredictable, in fact embody the spirit of an illustrious ancestor (male or female), their appearance manifesting itself mainly during rites mukanda, including circumcision, during which their true identity must remain hidden from the eyes of the profane. Their accessories and their behavior, depending on the case, symbolize moral values, highlight fertility, or even parody strangers. Crusty patina with red ocher highlights. Losses on the contours.