Tribal Art

Pende Nsembu Mask (N° 18208)

deformity in tribal art. The masks of disease Pende Mbangu illustrates, by their distorted features, the patient in an epileptic seizure or the result of facial paralysis caused by witchcraft rituals. In many tribal cultures, however, epilepsy would be perceived as a divine seal on an individual capable of communicating in this way with the spiritual world. The dancer wearing this comedy mask is wearing a feather hat gifuatu guinea fowl, coucal or touraco, or lumbandu, a crown of leaves. It is also often equipped with a bump on the back, exaggerating the handicapped aspect of the character. A hat consisting of a basket frame lined with raffia caps the face, itself lined with canvas. Patine mate. Height on a base: 36cm. The Western Pende live on the banks of the Kwilu, while the Easterners have settled on the banks of the Kasai river downstream of Tshikapa. The influences of the neighbouring ethnic groups, Mbla, Suku, Wongo, Leele, Kuba and Salempasu, were imprinted on their large tribal art sculpture. Within this diversity the masques Mbuya, realistic, produced every ten years, have a festive function, and embody different characters, including the head fumu or ufumu, the soothsayer and his wife, the prostitute, the jester, tundu, the possessed, etc.