The Lega are an ethnic group found in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Lega tribe art is created for primarily their semisecret associations of men and women, such as the Bwami society of the Lega peoples. The teachings of Bwami are a cornerstone of all aspects of life, guiding the moral development of the individual and governing relations with others. Bwami doctrine is represented by wood and ivory masks, heads, and small figures, all of which play a vital role during initiation into the society’s highest grades.
This is a small carved wood tribal commonly known as a “passport mask” carried with the traveller to show the tribe that they belong to. They were not worn on the face but exhibited, they were sown on a piece of cloth, tied to the upper arm, or hung on a fence during meetings of the Bwami society in order to allow the arriving members to see who was already present. The miniature masks were used to invoke ancestral spirits during secret society meetings, they were also used to serve as witnesses during initiation ceremonies. These maskettes were hand-carried in a dance, dragged or swung by their beards, hung over a shoulder. The following oval-shaped mask has a brown patina with kaolin on the concave-shaped face, and it shows signs of age and nice usage.
- Material: Wood, traces of Kaolin
- Age:approx 50-60yrs
- Origin: Democratic Republic Of Congo
- Condition: Good
- SKU: LMIN-051
- Weight: 0.1 kg
- Dimensions: 11 x 16.7 x 2.7 cm