What country is the Chokwe mask from?
Democratic Republic of Congo. The most powerful and important Chokwe mask is known as chikunga. Highly charged with power and considered sacred, chikunga is used during investiture ceremonies of a chief and sacrifices to the ancestors.
What are Chokwe masks made of?
These masks are made of barkcloth stretched over an armature of wickerwork, covered over with black resin and painted with red and white designs. Chikunga is worn only by the current chief of a group.
What do African mask represent?
In rituals, African masks represent deities, mythological beasts and gods; metaphors for good and evil, the dead, animals, nature and any other force that is considered more powerful than man himself.
What does the name Chokwe mean?
Definition of Chokwe 1a : a scattered people of northeastern Angola and adjacent parts of Democratic Republic of the Congo noted for the religious masks that they produce. b : a member of such people. 2 : a Bantu language of the Chokwe people closely related to or perhaps a dialect of Lwena.
Who made female PWO mask?
Female (pwo) mask (Chokwe peoples) . Created by Beth Harris and Steven Zucker.
Why are African masks created?
Masks serve an important role in rituals or ceremonies with varied purposes like ensuring a good harvest, addressing tribal needs in time of peace or war, or conveying spiritual presences in initiation rituals or burial ceremonies. Some masks represent the spirits of deceased ancestors.
Why do Chokwe wear Mukanda masks?
The Chokwe people influenced the art of many neighboring tribes, including the Lunda, Mbunda, Lovale and Mbangani. The mukanda masks play a role in male initiation. The mukanda is an initiatory institution through which religion, art, and social organization are transmitted from one generation to the next.
What is Chokwe sculpture?
Her postulated styles of Chokwe sculpture (Bastin 1976,1982) and the sculpture of the Lwena, provide a core theoretical (art historical) model that invites further analysis. These arts are so diverse and familiar face in most museum and private collections (Fig. 1). Figure 1. Pwo mask. Chokwe, early 20th century.
What is the significance of Chokwe culture?
According to Chokwe belief, ancestral spirits play the crucial role of providing for living descendants. The ancestral characters also protect the peoples from intruders or evil (wanga) supernatural elements. The Chokwe people influenced the art of many neighboring tribes, including the Lunda, Mbunda, Lovale and Mbangani.
What are the characteristics of a Chokwe mask?
The most discernible elements of a Chokwe style of wooden mask carving have been well defined. Bastin In the wooden masks, the eyes are usually elliptical or almond-shaped and generally half-closed. The swollen eyelids are prolonged down to the center of the concave eye-sockets.