Tribal Art

Bembé Echawokaba miniature hem mask (N° 14792)

Reduced version of the large heaume mask ecwabuka (big head) used during the tribal ritual of the male society Kalunga , Alunga , exercising social control over the clan, and responsible for public dances and ceremonies before the hunt. A hem mask embodying the god Alunga, it usually has four large and large concave orbits with a conical pupil in relief. Here he forms a stylized face framed by ears. These objects with apotropaic virtues were the property of every lodgemaster in society.
Satin dry patina. Localized abrasions, very beautiful patina. The Bembe is a Luba branch that is said to have left Congo in the 18th century. Their society and artistic tendency are influenced by their neighbours in the Lake Tanganyika region, the Lega, the Buyu, etc. Indeed, like the Lega, the Bembe had an association bwami responsible for the initiation and structuring for society but while the bwami was exclusive among the Lega, other associations coexisted among the Bembe.
Ref.: "Initiés" Museum Dapper.