Hemba - Bayaka - DR Congo

These helmet masks are carved from a single piece of wood in the shape of a cylinder; they consist of a face and a hairstyle, often crowned with an animal. The mask has a hairstyle painted black, topped by a platform with a slightly protruding rim, on which an animal is carved, possibly a gazelle (the horns are missing), painted black, with a light-coloured polychrome face and an animal skin tail. The face is completely framed by a red fringe, with spikes down to the nose forming a kind of beard; the eyes are globular, with fine cuts following the contour and the pupils outlined in blue; the nose is large with wide pierced nostrils and the mouth, without lips, shows the teeth; the ears are formed by two Katyeeti birds. In the south, the masks behave in a more individualised manner than in the north, due to their accompanying songs and the responses of the audience. It is said that these masks represent the collective image of all deceased elders, particularly the heads of the maternal lineage (Leemba). At the same time, they contain a powerful spell that can promote successful hunting, cure certain ailments, and harm those who harbour evil intentions or show disrespect. Provenance: Berthe Hartert collection; Argiles Collection, Barcelona.