Chokwe Mask with Headdress (Mwana Pwo) Wood, reed, vegetable fibre Size in cm: 26 x 23 x 14 Weight: 100g.This mask presents beautifully its headdress and comes from the Chokwe people who are members of a large culture cluster living today in Zambia, central Angola and parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
This cluster of prominently Chokwe people is also composed of the Lunda, Ovimbundu, Lwena, Luvala, Mbwela, and Imbangala and a number of distinct but related peoples. As a result of the complex interaction of people the region has shared stylistic elements, based upon shared ritual practices and mythologies. Masks were used during Mukanda initiation rites for young boys through a series of endurance tests. The present mask called Mwana pwo depicts a beautiful young woman and represents the female ancestor. Mwana Pwo also dances at the induction of a new chief, fertility rituals, at funerals, and during public entertainment. Also among the Chokwe dances in which masks are prominent are the means to publicly demonstrate appropriate conduct and correct social behavior. The dancer of Mwana Pwo attracts a very large audience, especially women. The grace and elegant gestures of the pwo mask teach Chokwe women to act in a graceful manner. Mwana Pwo reflects all the positive attributes of an ideal woman who can resemble the Chokwe female ideal.
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