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FEMALE MASK Makonde, Mozambique
Late 19th century Wood, beeswax, pigment 8� h Provenance: - Rijksmuseum voor Volkenkunde, Leiden - John J. Klejman, New York - Faith-Dorian and Martin Wright Collection, New York In the traditions of the Makonde there are two types of masks: helmet masks, used primarily by groups in Mozambique, and face masks, common among the those in Tanzania. The design of the latter often reduced facial elements to a minimum and employed little decoration. Masks from the Lindi region typically have small, rectangular eyes and are colored with several layers of natural red pigments. Makonde masks often bear beeswax patterns representing traditional scarification. In general, female masks are characterized by a lip plug (called ndona in Mozambique and pelele in Tanzania) or an ear disk, while male masks are identified by a moustache or beard. This very early example is clearly a female mask, its features dominated by a large, thick lip plug worn in the upper lip above an open mouth. Below the rectangular eye holes is a small nose, represented by a shallow, pointed overhang. Flared ears protrude from the sides of the face. Beeswax has been applied to the center of the forehead in a branched chevron design that descends between the eyes, as well as in a long line across the top of the brow and in smaller, curved markings on the cheeks. This type of mask was active at the end of initiation ceremonies as the incarnation of ancestral spirits (midimu), and its appearance reminded initiates of their new position in the community and the rights and duties attendant to it.
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Makonki woman, Mikindani, Tanganyika, C. Jincent, Dar-Es-Salaam, Frank and Frances Carpenter Collection (Library of Congress)