Ritual Messengers

The Peoples of Central Africa


| The Tshokwe | Tshokwe Masks |

Cihongo mask. Tshokwe. South Kasai, Zaïre. Wood, metal, pigments.
© Africa-Museum, Tervuren

  Tshokwe Masks

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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