SPIRIT MASK - Sold
Tribe: Punu
Country: Gabon
Material: Wood, Pigment
Size: 13"
The okuyi or mukuyi mask,
originating from the Punu in southwest Gabon, represents and idealized
female face. Indicated by the scarification on the face area,
consisting of nine dots, and according to some, have a sexual
connotation. Another sign of female gender is the coiffure.
The
ritual function fulfilled by these masks is normally at funeral
ceremonies, when they are danced as embodiments of the spirits of the
ancestors. In the masquerade, the dancers, wearing costumes of raffia
or cotton fabric and animal pelts, move with amazing agility on stilts
up to six and a half feet in height. |
