This is a very rare Mbunda-style Sachihongo mask collected in situ in 1972 in Zambia. This type of dance mask is characterized by their round shape, proportionally exaggerated features, and prominent brow ridge and cheeks. This exceptional example is striking for its scale and the dramatic graphic emphasis given to the articulation of essential facial features. The makishi masquerades are performed at the end of initiation rites for young boys, or mukanda, celebrated by Luvale, Chokwe, Luchazi and Mbunda peoples of Zambia. During a period of seclusion adolescent boys undergo circumcision and are instructed in qualities they are expected to take on as adult men. This mask form, known as Sachihongo, is the only wood variety featured at the culmination of the celebration when the youth are brought back to the community. Sachihongo most commonly represents the spirit of a cultural archetype — an ancestral hunter armed with a bow. The elevated status of the subject is such that it may also be addressed as an ancestral chief or diviner. A male dancer would have worn the mask along with a knit fiber costume, a skirt of palm leaves, and other accessories, including anklets. Equipped with a bow and arrow, and carrying a fly whisk or ceremonial axe, Sachihongo dances to a rapid tempo. This mask measures 17 x 12 inches ( not counting the feather headdress. ( * A metal display stand can be included for an additional $35.00) *** Collected in situ by Mark Friedrich in 1972 , while in Zambia, Africa.

fair, well weathered