30 - KIFWEBE MASK - DR Congo - Songye

KIFWEBE MASK - DR Congo - Songye First half of the 20th century. Wood, pigments, kaolin, fibers (raffia). Dimensions: 80 cm. A female Kifwebe mask with a rounded forehead and a convex lower face; the nose extends from the slight sagittal crest, beneath which a prominent, geometric mouth emerges. The mask features a costume element made of raffia fibers. Kifwebe masks, originating from the Songye people’s bwadi bwa kifwebe institution, first appeared in European collections in the early 20th century. The first known mask is housed at the Linden Museum in Stuttgart (inv. no. 43811), acquired by Leo Frobenius before 1900. This mask institution exists among both the Songye and the Luba. Among the Songye, it is a secret institution reserved for men, serving as a body for controlling the population and as a judicial and coercive instrument, thereby reinforcing the power of the chief and the notables. There are three categories of kifwebe masks: the kilume, a male mask featuring a sagittal crest; the kikashi, a female mask without a crest; and the kia ndoshi, another, rarer, and particularly powerful mask. Condition: Uniform patina; raffia fiber costume partially preserved; residual kaolin. Research and Documentation: Coryse Mwape – Art historian specializing in ancient African art. Internal Ref.: 202