Songye Kifwebe Mask

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Collection

African Art Collection

Description

Kifwebe masks come in different sizes depending on status. This relatively small mask has a rounded crest with a central point in the middle of the head. The mask believed to be a male is covered with linear incisions, has a protruding mouth and nose set between piercing eyes. The patina is established and worn. The mask remains in good condition.

General Note

GEOGRAPHY / CULTURE GROUP: Democratic Republic of Congo, Songye. The Songye are a Bantu ethnic group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Songye people are divided into over forty conglomerate societies, each with a chief and a judicial council. The Songye are known as farmers, fishermen, hunters, and traders. They believe in a supreme being Ele-ife, however, he is not praised as much as ancestor spirits.

Artists/Makers

Songye Democratic Republic of Congo Read Biography

Songye

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GEOGRAPHY / CULTURE GROUP: Democratic Republic of Congo, Songye. The Songye are a Bantu ethnic group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Songye people are divided into over forty conglomerate societies, each with a chief and a judicial council. The Songye are known as farmers, fishermen, hunters, and traders. They believe in a supreme being Ele-ife, however, he is not praised as much as ancestor spirits.

Student Work

No

Culture

Songye

Geography

Democratic Republic of Congo

Medium

Wood and pigment

Classification

Mask

Accession Number

2022.01.056

Accession Date

May 2022

Donated By

Reginald and Celeste Hodges

Donation Date

May 2022