Mfondo Mask
This mask represents mfondo, whose strongly projecting triangular nose is meant to evoke the powerful bill of the hornbill. The nose, the narrow, lidless eyes, and the protruding round ed lips lie in a concave face, set off from the forehead by a projecting browline. This extends downward from the high bridge of the nose to the temples and ends at the corners of the eyes. The cap-like coiffure is adorned by a characteristic incised geometric pattern.
Such masks are thought to have been originally danced at initiations of adolescent boys performed by the ngongo association, as well as at hunting and fertility rites, to propitiate spirits and gain their good will. |
