OKUYI ANTHROPOMORPHIC MASK
Punu/Lumbo culture, southern Gabon
First half of the 20th century
Wood and pigments
H.: 30; W.: 16 cm
(restoration)
He presents himself with features of apparent tranquility: his incised eyes are shaped like crescent moons, his oval face is pigmented white, the eyebrows appear enhanced with brown pigments. His thin nose has two small nostrils, his lips are finely lined and colored red, his raised ears are sculpted in the shape of a C.
The shell-shaped hairstyle is pigmented black and incised with fine streaks, reminiscent of the braided hair of the Punus.
A large collar adorns the edge of the mask. It allowed the fabric or plant fibers to be held in place, which served to conceal the wearer's body.
This type of mask is called Okuyi – which is also found in some regions called Mukuyi or Mukudji. It refers to figures of ancestors. Symbolically, white kaolin refers to ancestral ties and the world of the dead.
He appears to commemorate the deceased during funeral ceremonies and on full moon nights.
Raised on stilts, the dancer, the mask, strictly speaking, and his clothing, form only one. And the three entities form "the mask."
Ref.: 780
Text and photos © FCP CORIDON
+33681153179
ff.coridon@wanadoo.fr
www.proantic.com/galerie/coridon/
