African Arts Gallery

Pende Mask (N° 19366)

Called Kiwoyo among the Eastern Pende, Giwoyo among the Central Pende, this African mask with a chin strap was worn as a cap over a soft hat. Most of the masks of the Pende du Centre, sculpted by the dancers, were worn inclined on the forehead, to be contemplated in profile. Originally associated with the deceased lying on his bed, this mask was associated with funeral rituals. Nowadays it is used in peaceful and festive ceremonies. Hangmen live on the banks of the Kwilu, while the Eastern have settled on the banks of the Kasai downstream from Tshikapa. The influences of the neighboring ethnic groups, Mbla, Suku, Wongo, Leele, Kuba and Salempasu were imprinted on their large sculpture of tribal art. Within this diversity, the realistic masks Mbuya, produced every ten years, have a festive function, and embody different characters, including the chief, the diviner and his wife, the prostitute, the possessed, etc.... The masks of initiation and those of power, the minganji, represent the ancestors and occur successively during the same ceremonies, agricultural festivals, rituals of initiation and circumcision mukanda ,enthronement of the chief. Governed by heads of families, the jogo, the jogo, the pende, the pende undergo different initiations that prepare them for adult life, including circumcision. Their sculptures, intended to come into contact with the ancestors, are stored in a room or a house adjoining that of the chief.
Polychrome matte patina.
Source: Kerchache