Ngady a Mwaash Mask
Culture: Kuba
Country: Zaire
Glass beads, Inlay, Shells, Raffia, Wood, Cloth
Represents a founding royal female ancestor of the 17th
century Bushoong Kuba
dynasty.It performs with two other mask representing royal male ancestors,
Mashamboy and Bwoon in a royal ceremony which reenacts the royal
dynastic myth. Appears at intiation and funeral celebrations, this trilogy
of
masqueraders define the political system with its social roles.
In Zaire (Congo), among the Chokwe, Kuba, Pende, Suku and Yaka people,
masks denote significant social functions. Among the Chokwe, chiefs may
wear sacred masks at ceremonies, when they perform sacrifices to ancestors,
seeking blessings for the welfare of their community. Among the Kuba, the
function of some masks is more focused on rights of passage, particularly
for a boy's initiation. Kuba masks also reflect spirits that act as intermediaries
between the Supreme Being and mortals. The elephant mask, is commonly used
among the Kuba, and is worn by a distinguished person during funerary rites
of a titled person. The white cowrie shells embellishing this mask are symbolic;
white is a color associated with death and mourning. For the Yaka, masks
perform in puberty rituals for male youths, as well as assuring and protecting
the future fertility of the initiated.