Mukenga elephant mask - Kuba - DR Congo

The mukenga masks are worn at the funerals of high-ranking men in the northern region of the Kuba kingdom. Imported materials, cowries (small shells) and beads are symbols of wealth due to their historically restricted access. Cowries were even used as a medium of exchange, notably by slave traders. Their white color is associated with the world of spirits, and the red of the beads with high social status. The growth on the top of the mask represents an elephant tusk, a reference to the animal's power, but also to the prosperity the Kuba kingdom gained through control of the ivory trade in the nineteenth century.

Beautiful rare mask in good condition, from my personal collection, brought back from the DRC in 1985