It is a helmet mask with a broad, rounded forehead and slightly sunken cheeks. Some sources claim that it is the head of a pygmy. In fact, it could be that the character corresponds to a specific member of the Chwa pygmies—one of the numerous pygmy groups of hunter-gatherers who inhabit territories close to the Kuba villages—and that it was made known by King Miko Mimbul. According to other traditions, it is a representation of a prince with hydrocephalus. Some say that the image is of a Ngesh who traditionally appeared among the initiates. Provenance: Berthe Hartert collection Argiles Collection, Barcelona