Mask, Chokwe; D.R.C. Congo/Angola
Wood, fiber, metal, beads, pigment; H. 8 1/4"
Pwo signifies womanhood and
an elder ancestral female associated with fertility.
Although performed by a male dancer, the costume
includes wooden breasts and a female bustle behind.
More recent adaptations transform her into mwana
pwo, a young woman who has undergone initiation
and is therefore ready for marriage. The cross form
on the forehead, known as cingelyengelye,
is an early Portuguese influence. M.L. Bastin attributed
this lovely mask to the Expansion style of the Kwili-Kasai,
on either side of the border between Angola and
D.R.C. Congo.
