Cihongo mask. Tshokwe. South Kasai, Zaïre.
Wood, metal, pigments.
© Africa-Museum, Tervuren
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Tshokwe masks were made by
professional sculptors using wood, resin or a combination of both
materials. Future initiates or tundanji (boys between the ages of 8 and 12)
stay at an initiation camp outside their village in order to receive
instruction after they have been circumcised. During this period, masks
constitute the social link between the isolated male community and the rest
of the population, especially the boys' mothers and other women from the
village.
Among the great variety of masks there are a few archetypal figures, such as
the mwanaphwo or young woman. She represents a female ancestor who died at a
young age. Although it is worn by men, the mwanaphwo mask symbolizes the
prominent position of women in a matrilinear society such as that of the
Tshokwe.
The cihongo mask, the male counterpart of the mwanaphwo, depicts the male
spirit who represents power and wealth. The phwo mask represents a girl and
evokes the female ancestor who watches over the fertility of offspring.
Like the mwanaphwo and the cihongo, the phwo is a dance mask. Dancers
travelled from village to village and were rewarded when their performances
brought beneficial results.
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