Superb mask - Punu - Gabon (No reserve price)

Mask Mukuyi Okuyi - Punu / Pounou - Gabon
In the major regions of the Ngounié and Nyanga valleys, in southern and central southern Gabon, funeral ceremonies were occasions for the display of white masks called Okuyi, Mukuyi, or Mukudji depending on the area.

The Okuyi masks are made of soft wood, lightweight, and whitened with white clay (formerly mixed with bone powder). They are commemorative representations of deceased ancestors, men or women. The fact that the masks can be sexed explains the male/female pairs.

Because on tall wooden stilts, the dancer was covered with raphia skirts or cotton fabrics. He performed breathtaking acrobatic figures throughout the village and around the huts.

The Okuyi mask could be seen by men, women, and children alike, although the latter tended to stay hidden most of the time.