Kuba - DR Congo

This mask belongs to the Bushoong, the most important of the Kuba tribes to which
the king recognised by this entire ethnic group belongs, and is a variant of the Moshambwooy mask, about which
Torday tells the following legend: a water spirit named Ngesh, called Moshambwooy, once terrorised
the Kuba. He was responsible for terrible diseases, including blindness.
One day, a man found him in the forest, but was unable to describe him to his king. At the request
of the sovereign, he retired to his home and made a mask out of fibres and bark fabric in the image of
Ngesh. When the king saw the mask, he seized it and then disappeared, only to reappear
incognito in disguise, terrifying his subjects. On his return, they explained the strange
apparition to him, and the king declared that the spirit Moshambwooy had come to check on the behaviour
of each of them to know whom he should punish. The mask had become an instrument
of royal justice. After this, all the chiefs presented themselves to their people dressed in
Moshambwooy attire.
Kuba designs are based on constant patterns that have symbolic names. More than a hundred design names are known.
The mask is a Mikobi Ngom or “Mikobi Drum” design. The mask is a Mikobi Ngom or “Mikobi Drum” design. A
king of this name is said to have invented the design to decorate the royal drum.
The Kuba believe that all wooden masks have been copied from other tribes, but that the
Moshambwooy and Mukyeem are of Kuba origin. This mask is made in royal workshops.

Provenance: Berthe Hartert collection
Argiles Collection, Barcelona