20th c.
Carved wood, woven fiber
11 1/2" x 9" x 9"
Provenance: Allan Stone Collection, New York
The Chokwe are a Bantu-speaking people who inhabit the southern part of Congo, northeastern Angola, and, since the early part of the 20th century, the northwestern corner of Zambia. They create mukishi or makishi (masks) to represent ancestral spirits that bring positive supernatural influences to communities during mukanda (the initiation of boys). Masks made from bent twigs and branches, bark cloth, and resinous materials are generally constructed within initiation camps and burned or disposed of after mukanda initiations are over. Ancestral spirits include a Chihongo (chief) and a Pwo (fulfilled woman) or a mwana pwo (younger, potential woman). This mask represents a female ancestor who has died and will watch over the fertility of the next generation. Even in this matrilineal society, the mask is worn by males during Pwo dances. They wear tight fitting net costumes with cotton wrappers and wood breasts. Using short steps and sensuous hip movements, the dancers move elegantly and gracefully, exemplifying proper female behavior. Note the sunken eyes that are common in many Chokwe masks. They are closed to a narrow opening. Her tears may symbolize the pain of death that occurs throughout a human's life or a motherÂ’s pride and sorrow at a passage of separation from her son. The beaded coiffure and lines of scarification on the chin and cheeks of these masks are classic designs that enhance a woman's beauty and signify ethnic identity. The central cruciform on the forehead has been interpreted as a cosmogram.


References

Bastin, Marie Louise. La Sculpture tshokwe. Meudon: Caffin, 1982 Female Ancestor Images. The Aesthetics of Female Images in African Art, IATH, University of Virginia (www2.iath.virginia.edu) Interpretive Resource, Arts of Africa and the Americas, Collections, University of Chicago (artic.edu) Jordan, Manuel. Art and Initiation in Western Zambia. Art and Life in Africa, Stanley Museum of Art, University of Iowa (africa.uima.uiowa.edu)

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