Kifwebe Mask Wood, reed, vegetable fibre
Size in cm: 29 x 28 x 11
Weight: 400g.
"Kifwebe" means "Mask" in the Songye language. The typical style with the bean shaped eyes, round face, square mouth and waved face decoration (linear incisions) is very original for its character. The Luba Eastern live in the Katanga Province in the neighborwood of the Buyu, Hemba, Zela and other Luba subgroups. The size of the crest determines the magical power of the mask which can be found in use at funeral ceremonies, initiations and circumcisions. Also traditional for such masks would be the pigmentation of the linear incisions. Round mask with striations is the most famous of the Luba Kifwebe masks, made for the Bwadi Bwa Kifwebe Secret society. This attention to detail is queationable if the Luba people borrowed it from the Songye tribes.
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