The objects of the mukanda initiation

Object type: mask
Materials: wood, raffia, pigment
Legend: This mask was an unusual interpretation of a Kholuka. While in the eye of a European, these mukanda masks may appear similar, as far as the Yaka artists and spectators were concerned they were quite different. For the artist, well sculpted features would be given a headdress which corresponded to an important mask of the mukanda such as Ndeemba or Kholuka.
Place of collecting: Democratic Republic of the Congo > Bandundu > Kwango
Culture: Yaka
Field collector: Anonymous
Date of acquisition: 1930-02-28
Dimensions: 37 cm x 24,5 cm x 29,5 cm
Inventory number: EO.0.0.31424