Kifwebe kilume (male mask)

19th–20th century

Not on view

Certain masking traditions of the Congo River basin personify local control of mystical power. Striated face masks known as kifwebe probably originated in North Shaba, an area inhabited by both Songye and Luba groups. Significant departures in the role and formal interpretation of this art form subsequently developed in each culture. Among the small Songye chiefdoms along the Lomami River, maskers were emissaries of the ruling elite, who relied on the ideology of witchcraft and sorcery to sustain their rule. These kifwebe members commanded a body of esoteric secret knowledge visually encoded mnemonically in the mask's features.

Artwork Details

Object Information

Overview

Provenance

Exhibition History

References

Title: Kifwebe kilume (male mask)
Artist: Songye artist
Date: 19th–20th century
Geography: Democratic Republic of the Congo
Culture: Songye peoples
Medium: Wood, pigment
Dimensions: H.17 11/16 x W. 7 1/4 x D. 8 in. (45 x 18.4 x 20.3 cm)
Classification: Wood-Sculpture
Credit Line: The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Gift of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1965
Object Number: 1978.412.456
Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

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Kifwebe bakashi (female mask), Songye artist, Wood, pigment, Songye peoples — Kifwebe bakashi (female mask)
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Kongo artist and nganga (ritual specialist)
19th–first half of 20th century

Kpeliye’e headdress, Senufo artist, Wood, horns, quills, raffia fiber, cotton cloth, feathers, metal, applied organic materials, Senufo peoples — Kpeliye’e headdress
Senufo artist
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Royal seat, Songye artist, Wood, copper alloy, ivory, beads, Songye peoples — Royal seat
Songye artist
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Side-blown Trumpet, Ivory, Mangbetu — Side-blown Trumpet
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