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Mask
kifwebe
unidentified Congolese
Congolese
----
undated
The hemispherical masks carved by the Luba are among the largest face masks produced in Africa. The mask itself provides no clue to the method by which it was attached to the wearer's face. Early researchers supply some evidence of the functions of these masks. Colle (1913:676) describes a dancer who wears a large wooden mask, a bark cloth costume, and a large fiber collar. Dancing in pairs. the masks represent male and female spirits. Maes (1924:36,37) calls the masks kifwebe, recording that they are used for the funeral of a great chief or of an important person in the village, at ceremonies when a villager is named to the position of kalala or chief's representative and village administrator, or when an important visitor arrives in the village. Olbrechts (1959:no.110) illustrates a wooden Luba figure which wears a mask of this type. Recently, masks based on this form but unmistakably made for the tourist trade have appeared in such unlikely spots as Ouagadougou, in Mossi country several thousand miles from Zaire. This mask, in contrast, shows signs of considerable age and extended use in a traditional context. -- Professor Christopher Roy, School of Art and Art History, University of Iowa
Southern Savannah Africa Congo (Zaire)
Luba
Height: 18 inches Width: 14 inches Depth: 10 inches
Wood, pigment
The Stanley Collection
University of Iowa. Stanley Museum of Art
X1986_267
7/5/2007
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wood (plant material) pigment
183425165
Worn by dancer in barkcloth costume
Initiation
Funerary