This Mwaash aMboy mask, the most important of all royal Kuba mask forms, is made of wood and fiber, with orange, white, and blue beadwork, shells, and hair suspensions. It is a symbol of the cultural hero Woot, who was responsible for the creation of Kuba royalty, political structure, and arts and crafts.
The Mwaash aMboy mask is by far the most important of all royal Kuba masks. According to oral accounts, the mask is primarily a symbol of the cultural hero Woot, the founding father of the Kuba, and represents the son of Woot. Woot was responsible for the creation of the royalty, the political structure, and the arts and crafts of all the Kuba peoples.
The mask can be worn only by men of royal descent or by representatives of the people. The ritual use of the mask is manifold and variable in the Kuba culture. It is worn at initiations, validates kingships, sanctions matrilineal dynasty succession, and appears at funerals. The privilege of wearing the Mwaash aMboy extends beyond the grave, for the royalty were buried with these masks on their heads.
Constructed of wood, palm leaf fibers, leopard skin, hair, cowrie shells and beads, the mask is an assemblage of materials. Complex symbolic designs are displayed in the multicolored beadwork. These designs are also used on other royal objects such as drums, textiles, and basketry. The top is made of a soft cloth onto which feathers or fan-like ornaments were attached for dances. Other examples have long tubular extensions representing the elephant trunk, also a symbol of royal power.
(Gillon, 304, Pruitt, lecture 12/1/93)