Gikhokho (pendant mask)
Pende men and boys initiated into mukanda, a powerful male fraternity, dance wooden masks (mbuya) and elaborate raffia costumes in masquerades that both entertain and frighten the audience. Such performances also reaffirm or contest power relationships between different Pende groups, between men and women, and between the living and the dead. With angular chins and eyelids, mbuya often depict illness and ward off malignant spirits.
In addition to carving masks for men’s initiation masquerades, Pende artists were responsible for the creation of masks in miniature form to be worn as pendants. Wooden pendants are made by healing specialists and are prescribed by diviners as remedies for illness or misfortune. In contrast, their ivory counterparts, ikhokho (sing. gikhokho), are made by professional sculptors to be worn as decoration. While they depict humans, they never represent actual people, because to do so would be seen as sorcery. Elephant ivory is the material of choice, due to its texture and resistance to cracking, but carvers also use the thighbones of hippopotamuses. The Pende prize the whiteness of the ivory and regularly scrub the ornament's surface with water and abrasive sand, blurring the features over time.
Pendants in the form of masks replicate the broad curved forehead, narrow chin, and downcast eyes typical of Pende wooden masks. The horned crown of this example replicates a hat-like coiffure once popular with older men. While the sculptor of this pendant has not been documented, art historian Zoe Strother describes the work of one sculptor, Gabama a Gingungu (ca. 1890s–1965) (Strother 1998:79). He is known to have carved masks with this hairstyle, associated with fumu, the powerful and vengeful “face of the chief”. At the height of his career, he carved masks for local and foreign clients, but when he became too frail to cut down trees and haul wood for making masks, he turned to carving amulets of elephant and hippo ivory, materials he could purchase from local traders. One of Gabama’s protégés, a maternal nephew named Nguedia Gambembo, likewise in his later years switched from carving masks and large sculptures to making pendants, mainly from hippo ivory and sometimes ox bone. Small carvings became popular in the 1950s with local people and foreigners alike, although Pende women were discouraged from wearing mask pendants as masks were only performed by men. Following a rebellion against colonial rule in 1931, pendants also became a popular expression of group solidarity and resistance to the colonial state.
Enid Schildkrout, Curator Emerita, American Museum of Natural History, 2025
In addition to carving masks for men’s initiation masquerades, Pende artists were responsible for the creation of masks in miniature form to be worn as pendants. Wooden pendants are made by healing specialists and are prescribed by diviners as remedies for illness or misfortune. In contrast, their ivory counterparts, ikhokho (sing. gikhokho), are made by professional sculptors to be worn as decoration. While they depict humans, they never represent actual people, because to do so would be seen as sorcery. Elephant ivory is the material of choice, due to its texture and resistance to cracking, but carvers also use the thighbones of hippopotamuses. The Pende prize the whiteness of the ivory and regularly scrub the ornament's surface with water and abrasive sand, blurring the features over time.
Pendants in the form of masks replicate the broad curved forehead, narrow chin, and downcast eyes typical of Pende wooden masks. The horned crown of this example replicates a hat-like coiffure once popular with older men. While the sculptor of this pendant has not been documented, art historian Zoe Strother describes the work of one sculptor, Gabama a Gingungu (ca. 1890s–1965) (Strother 1998:79). He is known to have carved masks with this hairstyle, associated with fumu, the powerful and vengeful “face of the chief”. At the height of his career, he carved masks for local and foreign clients, but when he became too frail to cut down trees and haul wood for making masks, he turned to carving amulets of elephant and hippo ivory, materials he could purchase from local traders. One of Gabama’s protégés, a maternal nephew named Nguedia Gambembo, likewise in his later years switched from carving masks and large sculptures to making pendants, mainly from hippo ivory and sometimes ox bone. Small carvings became popular in the 1950s with local people and foreigners alike, although Pende women were discouraged from wearing mask pendants as masks were only performed by men. Following a rebellion against colonial rule in 1931, pendants also became a popular expression of group solidarity and resistance to the colonial state.
Enid Schildkrout, Curator Emerita, American Museum of Natural History, 2025
Artwork Details
- Title: Gikhokho (pendant mask)
- Artist: Pende artist
- Date: early 20th century
- Geography: Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Culture: Pende peoples
- Medium: Ivory
- Dimensions: H. 2 1/2 x W. 1 1/2 x D. 7/8 in. (6.4 x 3.8 x 2.2 cm)
- Classification: Bone/Ivory-Ornaments
- Credit Line: The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Purchase, Nelson A. Rockefeller Gift, 1967
- Object Number: 1978.412.562
- Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing
More Artwork
A slider containing 5 items.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Press the down key to skip to the last item.
Pende artist (?)
ca. 1850–1920
Pende artist
ca. 1900
Pende artist
early 20th century
Pende artist
first half of 20th century
Pende artist
early 20th century
Research Resources
The Met provides unparalleled resources for research and welcomes an international community of students and scholars. The Met's Open Access API is where creators and researchers can connect to the The Met collection. Open Access data and public domain images are available for unrestricted commercial and noncommercial use without permission or fee.
To request images under copyright and other restrictions, please use this Image Request form.
Feedback
We continue to research and examine historical and cultural context for objects in The Met collection. If you have comments or questions about this object record, please contact us using the form below. The Museum looks forward to receiving your comments.