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2024.21.5

Mask depicting a female face (Pwo) with knotted plant fibre hair.

2024.21.5

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Collection type
Object
Description
Mask depicting a female face (Pwo) with knotted plant fibre hair.
Long description
Oval-shaped mask depicting a female face (Pwo) with knotted plant fibre hair. The face is painted red and has a broad forehead and narrow slits for eyes, carved within round, concave sockets painted with white pigment. The face is decorated with incisions which represent tattoos or skin markings, including a cross motif on the forehead and tears below the eyes. Coloured beads and strings of knotted plant fibre hair adorn the top of the mask. The earlobes are perforated.
Cultural groups
Chokwe
Date / Period
Date made: Before 14/06/2013
Date collected
14 June 2013
Acquisition information
Donated: 28/11/2024
Materials and processes
Material Wood Plant, Process Carved, Material Plant Fibre, Material Kaolin Clay, Material Bead, Material Pigment, Process Painted
Dimensions
Length: max 320 mm excluding hair, Width: max 200 mm
Object numbers
Accession number: 2024.21.5 Other numbers: 62
Research and responses

Chokwe dance masks similar to this one can be found in the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art (object number 85-15-20) and the Metropolitan Museum (object number 2003.288a, b). Such masks, known as pwo or mwana pwo, represent and honour female ancestors because Chokwe communities follow matrilineal descent. Pwo refers to an adult woman who has given birth, although the mask is worn and performed by men at certain ceremonies. One such event marks the completion of initiation into adulthood and recognises the changing relationship between mothers and their sons. It is common for pwo masks to have incised motifs on the forehead and cheeks, such as represented on this plaque, representing different facial tattoos of Chokwe women. The markings on the cheeks are described as solar discs joined by tears, a pattern known as masoji, symbolising a mother's pride and sorrow. Triangular markings on the forehead are known as cingelyengelye and represent a cruciform amulet originally worn as a necklace.

Search terms: Mask, Dance, Dance Accessory