NORTH CONGO - KWELE Animal mask in carved wood, patinated with traces of polychromy representing a deer, it is decorated with braids in vegetable fibers and cowries. (Wear) Height : 63 cm Height : 63 cm Note : The Kwele are a people of the great forest, their beliefs and rituals leave an important place to the "spirits of the forest", the ekuk, these being represented in the ceremonies by anthropozoomorphic masks : antelope, gorilla, elephant etc. The masks, of different forms, were all linked to the male initiatory society of the beete, which grouped together the notables and the warriors. The rites, organized for community occasions, made it possible to mobilize the forces of the ancestors and the spirits of the forest in order to resolve crisis situations or to promote the collective life of the village, essentially hunting, a favorite activity of the Kwele. Some of their objects were used during public dances while others were kept in secret as emblems of notability. Source: "Les Forêts natales - Arts d'Afrique équatoriale Atlantique - Actes Sud Musée du Quai Branly Jacques Chirac - October 2017"