Anthropomorphic Okuyi Mask Punu Culture, South Gabon

Okuyi anthropomorphic mask
Punu culture, southern Gabon
First half of the 20th century 
Wood and pigments 
H. 30.5; L. 18; Thickness 17 cm

His features are apparently tranquil. His oval face is pigmented white - made with kaolin. His coffee-bean-shaped eyes are finely incised and enhanced by eyebrow arches highlighted with brown pigmentation. Her fine nose features two nostrils, and her raised ears are sculpted in the shape of a C and pigmented with red, as are her lips, individualized and hemmed.
The shell-shaped hairstyle is pigmented black and incised with fine striations, reminiscent of Punu braided hair. 
A large collar covers the edge of the mask. It was used to hold fabric or plant fibers that served to conceal the wearer's body.

This type of mask is known as an Okuyi - or, depending on the region, as a Mukuyi or Mukudji. It refers to ancestral figures.  
 
Text and photos © FCP CORIDON
 
Ref.LP2402