Title:
Chokwe Dance Mask, Pwo
Object Name:
Mask, Ritual, Pwo
Other Name:
Mask, Dance
Place of Origin:
Chokwe Style, Africa
Provenance:
Aboriginal Indigenous Art.
Decorative only.
H = 16"
W = 6"
D = 8"
Height includes full hair length.
While in former times they probably played important roles in religious beliefs and institutional practices, many other Chokwe masks have come to be used primarily for entertainment. Itinerant actors wearing these masks travel from village to village, living on gifts received at performances. Most masks are carved of wood. The most popular and best—known entertainment masks are chihongo, spirit of wealth, and pwo, his consort. Gaunt features, sunken cheeks, and jutting beard of an elder characterize a chihongo mask. Chihongo was formerly worn only by a chief or by one of his sons as they traveled through their realm exacting tribute in exchange for the protection that the spirit masks gave. While chihongo brings prosperity, his female counterpart, pwo, is an archetype of womanhood, an ancestral female personage who encourages fertility. As an ancestor, she is envisioned as an elderly woman. The eyes closed to narrow slits evoke those of a deceased person. The facial decoration on the surface are considered female. Recently pwo has become known as mwana pwo, a young woman. It represents young women who undergone initiation and are ready for marriage.
Decorative only.
H = 16"
W = 6"
D = 8"
Height includes full hair length.
While in former times they probably played important roles in religious beliefs and institutional practices, many other Chokwe masks have come to be used primarily for entertainment. Itinerant actors wearing these masks travel from village to village, living on gifts received at performances. Most masks are carved of wood. The most popular and best—known entertainment masks are chihongo, spirit of wealth, and pwo, his consort. Gaunt features, sunken cheeks, and jutting beard of an elder characterize a chihongo mask. Chihongo was formerly worn only by a chief or by one of his sons as they traveled through their realm exacting tribute in exchange for the protection that the spirit masks gave. While chihongo brings prosperity, his female counterpart, pwo, is an archetype of womanhood, an ancestral female personage who encourages fertility. As an ancestor, she is envisioned as an elderly woman. The eyes closed to narrow slits evoke those of a deceased person. The facial decoration on the surface are considered female. Recently pwo has become known as mwana pwo, a young woman. It represents young women who undergone initiation and are ready for marriage.
Description:
Elongated black face mask, with brown raffia extending from back and sides of mask. Large bulgy slit eyes in deep orbits, long thin nose, oval—shaped open mouth, with jagged teeth. Small checkerboard designs under each eye and between eyes, on forehead. Small crescent—shaped ears, net attached to sides of cheeks, decorative only in the style of Chokwe masks.
Collection:
Finley Collection
Material:
Wood W/Raffia
Used:
Ritually Used
Technique:
Carving / Weaving
Owned:
Art Department, Missouri Southern State University
Accession#:
2014.1.25
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Front View
Right Side View
Left Side View
Rear View
Front View (Close up)
Front View
Right Side View
Left Side View
Rear View
Front View (Close up)