Oval ancestoral or spirit board with abstract designs. Ancestor boards are kept in men's ceremonial houses and can represent personal spirits or simply be used for decoration. Origin Papua New Guinea.
N'domo mask used in the second of seven initiation rituals for boys of the Bambara people of Mali. The decorated vertical wooden posts represent the wisdom of the cosmos and the long nose symbolizes vitality.
A funerary statuette common among the Hongwe (Mahongwe), Kota (Bakota), and Fang people of Gabon. The statue is placed upon a box containing the remains of an ancestor and acts as the guardian of the reliquaries.
Front and profile views of a female wooden figure carrying a vessel in each hand. Origin Bena Lulua people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire).
Wooden ceremonial mask made for the Bwadi ya Kifwebe association, a group that polices social behavior and neutralizes disruptive elements within the Luba people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The masks are worn in a variety of ceremonies.
Front and profile views of a male wooden figure carrying a vessel in left hand and a dagger in right. Origin Bena Lulua people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire).
