’Emangungu (initiation mask)

Defined by crescent shaped eyes inset within wide hollows highlighted by kaolin, ’emangungu masks were performed during butende bwa ’eluba circumcision rites. Immediately following circumcision, a young boy wore only a small apron known as a bilemba. Once his wounds were healed, he received a large masambwa costume made of dried banana leaves, strips of banana tree bark, and other grasses, surmounted by an ’emangungu. The complete ensemble covered the head and body and disguised the wearer’s identity as he visited villages in search of food during a period of seclusion. Formally and thematically related to the ibulu lya ’alunga helmet mask, the ’emangungu distils that three-dimensional form into a narrow plank. The prominent eyes featured in both masks, further emphasized by a second crescent-shaped hollow in this example, reference an ancient forest spirit known as m’ma mwitu, associated with wisdom and clairvoyance. That advanced sight aided and protected boys during a vulnerable moment when they transitioned into sexually mature young adults.




’Emangungu and their associated rites had declined significantly by the mid-twentieth century. When researching Bembe masking traditions in the 1950s and 1960s, anthropologist Daniel Biebuyck recorded that “only a small number of Bembe groups use ’emangungu,” among them the Bahese.