Bakwélé masks Gabon RDC

This mask is part of my father's collection and was bought in Paris in the 80s.



Among the Bakwele, the internal cohesion of the village depended on the prestige and authority of its founder and the skill of its peacemaker.

To strengthen it, they borrowed from the Ngwyes the cult of the beete.

This ritual, which lasted an entire week, began with the departure into the forest for able-bodied men to hunt the antelope, whose meat, accompanied by medicine, would be eaten during the closing meal of the ceremony.

After this departure, within a day or two, the Ekuk masks would emerge from the forest and enter the village, inviting dance and singing. Ekuk means both 'spirit of the forest' and 'children of beete.'