213 - Emnoli Mask, Kota, Gabon, wood, kaolin, H.91xL.25cm. While adhering to the expressionist style characteristic of Kota sculpture, this large Emnoli mask ranks among the most striking masks known from the Ivindo Basin region. The highly elongated face is dominated by powerful brow ridges marked by four interlocking wrinkles, highlighting eyes with swollen eyelids. The modernity of the sculptural style is complemented by that of the pictorial decoration, featuring broad, alternating bands of white and black pigments. The emboli (also known as mboto-mwa-bèmpoli) is a forest spirit that manifests during the satsi initiation rite for adolescents among the Kota, Mahongwe, and Shamaye peoples of the Makokou and Mékambo regions (eastern Gabon). These masks, once numerous until the 1950s, have become rare over the decades due to the gradual abandonment of village initiation rites.