Mask, Kumu; D.R.C. Congo
Wood, pigment; H. 14 1/2"
This mask, now little more than a
shell due to the ravages of time and insects, was
created by the Kumu people who live to the north
and west of the Lega in D.R.C. Congo. By some accounts,
such masks are exceedingly rare and would have been
used, possibly in an initiatory context, by the
divination society Nsembu. Most often, Kumu
masks are far more geometrically conceived than
those of their Lega neighbors and have the additional
element of polychromed designs, often in opposition
on paired masks. However, the rarity of these masks
must be brought into question, or more precisely
the rarity of Kumu masks in general, for it is not
disputed that masks related to Nsembu are
scarce. The quantity of obviously traditional and
verifiable specimens, though very small when compared
to many African groups, is significantly higher
than previously held and may be related to Kumu
practices of masking outside of the Nsembu
context that have not been well documented. This
particular example is white, a color the Kumu associate
with the moon, ebbing of the life force, and negative
qualities. A mate to this mask may have existed
in red, the oppositional color in Kumu thought,
though it need not have. The bold planes and square
cutouts are rather remarkable in their simplicity
and primordial strength.
