Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Songye peoples, ca. early to mid-20th century CE. A figure comprised of wood wrapped with a fiber network, a leather kit with remaining brown hairy coat around the waist, a long raffia collar, feathers dangling from fiber extension behind head, and a painted wood male kifwebe mask (male as it is with an upstanding comb that extends over the head and connects into the nose and incorporates red pigment) at the head, the eyes overshadowed by enormous brows and the mouth puckering outward in a rectangular shape, painted brown, red, and white; the rest of the face is striated in the same hues. Wood block stand. Size: 19.375" H (49.2 cm); 21.25" H (54 cm) on stand

The most well-known masks of the Songye culture are Kifwebe masks worn in connection with the Bwadi Bwa Kifwebe secret society. Kifwebe are used to symbolize the connection of local ruling elites with spiritual powers. The elite in the Songye culture are seen as those who know witchcraft and sorcery in the society, and the striated lines of the mask can be read by the right person to decode some of this mystical knowledge.

Provenance: Ex-Alan Davis collection, Santa Fe, NM; ex-Brian Nault, Oklahoma City, OK

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#121400

Overall very good. Minor surface wear to mask and hide waist covering.