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Ndaaka Nkumbi mask
€295.00
€147.50
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Mask probably attributable to the Ndaaka, from the forested Ituri region of northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Among the Ndaaka, masquerades were closely associated with male initiation, particularly the circumcision cycle commonly known as nkumbi. These ceremonies marked the transition of boys into adult social status and involved instruction, discipline, music, dance and the appearance of masked figures. Certain masks embodied ancestors or spirits and accompanied the ritual specialists responsible for guiding initiates.
This example retains an impressive surround of vegetal fibers, an important feature since Ituri masks were originally worn as part of full raffia or leaf costumes. The wooden face is deliberately simple, with narrow eyes, a long nose and a large rectangular open mouth. Numerous pale painted motifs animate the dark surface; their meaning varied according to local traditions and may refer to elements of the natural and spiritual environment.
The combination of carved wood, pigment and dense vegetal fibers gives the object a particularly strong ritual presence and offers a rare impression of the mask as it may originally have appeared in performance.
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Mask probably attributable to the Ndaaka, from the forested Ituri region of northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Among the Ndaaka, masquerades were closely associated with male initiation, particularly the circumcision cycle commonly known as nkumbi. These ceremonies marked the transition of boys into adult social status and involved instruction, discipline, music, dance and the appearance of masked figures. Certain masks embodied ancestors or spirits and accompanied the ritual specialists responsible for guiding initiates.
This example retains an impressive surround of vegetal fibers, an important feature since Ituri masks were originally worn as part of full raffia or leaf costumes. The wooden face is deliberately simple, with narrow eyes, a long nose and a large rectangular open mouth. Numerous pale painted motifs animate the dark surface; their meaning varied according to local traditions and may refer to elements of the natural and spiritual environment.
The combination of carved wood, pigment and dense vegetal fibers gives the object a particularly strong ritual presence and offers a rare impression of the mask as it may originally have appeared in performance.
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