"Mwisi Gwa So'o Mask - Democratic Republic Of Congo - First Half Of The 20th Century"
Mwisi Gwa So'o MASKHemba culture, Democratic Republic of Congo
First half of the 20th century
Wood
H. 21 cm, 16 m long
A monoxyle wooden mask depicting a stylised monkey, with a mouth openworked over small pointed teeth, crescent-shaped eyes, eyebrows incised in crosshatching and a particularly tapered nose.
‘So'o’ refers to the term “sokomotu”, which means chimpanzee.
It dances at funeral ceremonies to reconcile the living and the dead, known as ubuzha malilo.
Text and photos © FCP CORIDON
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