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Yaka Ndeemba mask
€430.00
€215.00
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Initiation Ndeemba mask from the Yaka of the Kwango region in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It combines a carved wooden face with an imposing fibre and textile superstructure enlivened by vivid geometric polychromy.
Among the Yaka, such masks were associated with the nkhanda, the male initiation cycle marking the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Initiates were temporarily separated from village life, instructed in social, religious and historical knowledge and traditionally underwent a series of ordeals including circumcision. Masked performances accompanied this process of transformation and were especially important at the conclusion of initiation.
These masks fulfilled several functions: they helped protect initiates during a period of physical and spiritual vulnerability, conveyed moral and social teachings and contributed to the spectacular and sometimes satirical character of initiation performances. Their imagery could evoke relations between men and women, sexuality, fertility and gender-specific social responsibilities.
This example is distinguished by its tall conical headdress with two broad horizontal discs, decorated with triangles, dots and fields of blue, yellow, red and black. The face also retains strong pigmentation, particularly around the eyes and nose, while the elongated lower section forms a handle for manipulating the mask.
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Initiation Ndeemba mask from the Yaka of the Kwango region in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It combines a carved wooden face with an imposing fibre and textile superstructure enlivened by vivid geometric polychromy.
Among the Yaka, such masks were associated with the nkhanda, the male initiation cycle marking the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Initiates were temporarily separated from village life, instructed in social, religious and historical knowledge and traditionally underwent a series of ordeals including circumcision. Masked performances accompanied this process of transformation and were especially important at the conclusion of initiation.
These masks fulfilled several functions: they helped protect initiates during a period of physical and spiritual vulnerability, conveyed moral and social teachings and contributed to the spectacular and sometimes satirical character of initiation performances. Their imagery could evoke relations between men and women, sexuality, fertility and gender-specific social responsibilities.
This example is distinguished by its tall conical headdress with two broad horizontal discs, decorated with triangles, dots and fields of blue, yellow, red and black. The face also retains strong pigmentation, particularly around the eyes and nose, while the elongated lower section forms a handle for manipulating the mask.
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