Gatomba mask - Pende - R.D. Congo

The Gatomba mask parodies the sorcerer who harms himself. The version by Gatshiola Léon is unique in that it has a broad forehead painted black and covered with small white triangular scarifications that end in a straight horizontal line across the entire width of the face, above the eyes, and has no eyebrows; it is edged at the top by a rounded fringe of black fibers. The scarifications on the cheeks are formed by black semicircles in relief with two white triangles inside; the mouth in relief and half-open is rectangular with lips formed by a thin black line framing pointed teeth painted white. The face is painted red. He has a cloth beard from ear to ear. The white spots are generally described as “kaji-kaji,” a term that refers to the alternating light and dark spots of a leopard. Léon explains that “kaji-kaji” is appropriate as a sign for the “ngunza,” the “killer,” who is believed to be the sorcerer. In popular belief, when sorcerers gather to “eat” one of their victims, they rub ashes on their foreheads and then stain them with red and white as a sign of communion with their companion “ngunza,” the leopard.

Provenance: Mundo Africano, Barcelona
Argiles Collection, Barcelona