Tribal Art

This naturalistic African mask would have been the prerogative of the nganga, priest-seer. Her mediumistic abilities, which the Kongo thought they favored by taking hallucinogenic substances, are revealed by the hollowed-out gaze and the lower eyelids underlined in red like the gaping mouth. This type of mask was called ngobudi in reference to something dreadful, terrorizing. Brilliant polychrome patina.
Height on base: 40 cm.
These mediating masks, also present in initiation processes, were used by witch doctors during healing rituals. At the same time, they were also used to identify individuals who, through their actions, could disturb the harmony of the community. In the 13th century, the Kongo people, led by their king Ne Kongo, settled in a region at the crossroads of the borders between the current DRC, Angola and Gabon. The "ntotela" king controlled the appointment of court and provincial officials. Belonging to the Kongo group, the Yombe are established on the West African coast, in the south-west of the Republic of Congo and in Angola. Their statuary includes remarkable maternities.