Bwaka mask - Bwaka - DR Congo

Ngbaka (also called Bwaka), Democratic Republic of the Congo: a very old mask, with typical scars on the forehead and the nose.

The Ngbaka live in the northwest of Congo, along the Ubangi River. Their masks appear in initiation rituals. This Ngbaka mask is carved from lightweight, light-colored wood. The facial part is black-painted, or more precisely, it was originally covered with a black, glossy layer. Because of the exceptionally great age of the mask, parts of this black layer have already flaked off. The oval mask head is lightly concave and bends inward at the lower part of the face. Only the large, open mouth, with four teeth carved from the same piece of wood, protrudes. The vertical lines of the typical tribal decorative scars, short, transverse and accentuated in a lighter color, run from the top of the head over the forehead and along the nose. This type of scar tattooing was traditionally worn by Ngbaka men in daily life. Small, round eyes are located close to the short, thick nose. The glossy, partially obscured patina on the partially flaked black layer is remarkable on this mask. This patina indicates an exceptionally great age of this object. Also on the back, inside, this Ngbaka mask shows an old patina on the right, glossy spots, as well as clear signs of use at the holes for attaching the mask costume. At the rear edge, at the very top, there is an old, original repair with black tree resin and a nail. Apart from the aforementioned color fading and dings along the edges from age, there is no significant damage. An unusually old mask that stands out for its pure expressiveness.